


Party of Three: Supernatural S1 (Sam x OC x Dean)

by roseM0719



Series: Party of Three [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other, Polyamory, Polyandry, profound bonds, supernatural season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:33:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 50
Words: 197,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseM0719/pseuds/roseM0719
Summary: Isabeau Fitzgerald has been a hunter for as long as she could remember. She tried living a normal life with her parents, but being friends with the Winchesters doesn't exactly allow normal. Then again she isn't just a "normal" hunter herself.(follows the events of season 1)[This story contains polyamory relationships and same sex relationships]*This work is also posted on my tumblr, fanfiction.net and quotev account.*
Relationships: Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s), Dean Winchester/Reader, OC/OC(s), Sam Winchester/Original Female Character(s), Sam Winchester/Reader, Sam/OC/Dean
Series: Party of Three [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652092
Comments: 20
Kudos: 67





	1. Prologue: Elemental Wiccan Pt.1

There was blood everywhere. Splattered all over the barn floor and walls. Headless bodies laid on the floor, their heads not too far away from their owners. 

With a cry, another fell to the ground, the head hitting the boot of the person who cut the head off. 

With a sigh the person flipped their machete in their hand and their blue eyes looked around at the fallen bodies around them. 

“Well that was fun.” She said. She picked up a lock of her long white hair in disgust seeing that it was stained in red. “Awesome, just what I wanted.” 

She huffed, letting her hand fall to her side. Not only was her hair coated in blood, but her clothing, hands and face were covered as well. A sudden ringtone made her jump. 

She pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket and hit the answer button. “Hello?” “Isabeau Fitzgerald! Are you crazy?! Hunting a vampire nest this late?” 

Isabeau cringed at her mother's voice screaming through the line. “Sorry mom. It was sort of last minute.” 

Her mother scoffed. “Last minute my ass. You’re farther and I have been worried sick! Your brothers are wondering where you are!” 

Isabeau’s jaw ticket. Of course she had to bring her three younger brothers into the argument. “Don’t use them against me. I’ll be home within the hour. Then my brothers can latch onto me like leeches all they like.” 

Her mother breathed out. “Just drive safely. No stopping. Straight home. I’ll make us some tea and we’ll talk.”

Isabeau smiled. “Yes, ma’am. On my way.” Isabeau hung up the phone and walked out of the barn. She took out her car keys, smiling as her black 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible came into view. “Hello, sweetheart.” 

Her impala was an 18th birthday gift from her grandfather who taught her how to fix the old beauty up. Isabeau wasn’t much of a car person, but when it came to the oldies, she was absolutely in love with them. 

Isabeau slid into her car, not bothering to pull up the hood. Night air always calmed her down after a hunt. The car roared to life, making her smile even more. “Let’s head home.” 

***

Isabeau pulled up to a stone cottage house, shaking her head seeing her three younger brothers waiting at the door for her. She turned off the car, stepping out and walked up to the door. “What are you still doing up? You got school tomorrow?” 

Isabeau was a little upset that her mother didn’t put them back to bed. Her brothers ignored her and started asking questions instead. 

“How many were there?” The eldest of the three, Alphonse asked. Alphonse was 13 years old, strawberry blonde curls sat on top of his head, and had blue-green eyes. 

“How’d you kill them?” The middle one, Eugene asked. Eugene was 11 and shared the same curls as his older brother but had light brown hair with blonde highlights in them and shared Isabeau’s blue eyes. 

“How did you find them?” And finally the youngest, Dion. Dion was 9 years old and even though he didn’t have the same curls as his brothers, he had the bright strawberry blonde hair with tinges of brown near the ends and had the greenest eyes of the bunch. 

Isabeau raised a brow at them. Her brothers were 100% far from normal. “There were 10 of them. I killed them with a machete. And how I found them is none of your goddamn business, Dion.” 

All her brothers did was smile at her. Isabeau’s shoulders slumped. “Alright, get to bed. Let me take a shower. I’ll tell you about it in the morning. Deal?” Her brothers nodded, running into the house and racing up the stairs to their rooms, eager to fall asleep and hear their sisters’ story in the morning. 

She rolled her eyes, walking into her home and closed the door behind her. “Why didn’t you put them to bed?” Isabeau glared at her mother, who was sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee in her hand. 

Her mother had long light brown hair with a slight curl to it and her eyes were an unbelievable ice blue. “Why did you hunt a vampire’s nest at 2 in the morning?” Isabeau rolled her eyes as a man with red hair with curly strawberry blonde highlights and green eyes walked in. 

“Yvette. She had a good reason.” He said. Her mother, Yvette, scoffed. “Bartholmieu, you knew?” Bartholmieu sighed. 

Isabeau raised her arms. “Don’t blame dad, okay? I told him that the nest was close to feeding on innocent people. I didn’t want to tell either of you, especially with All Hallows Eve coming up in the next couple of days, but dad found out. Mom, please.” 

Yvette sighed, setting down her cup of coffee and smiled softly at her daughter. “Alright. But next time you go out on a hunt, you tell us. Even if we are busy.” Isabeau pressed her lips together and nodded. 

“Now, go. Take a shower, I’ll take care of your clothes. Once you’re done, come back down for a cup of tea. None of us are getting sleep anytime soon.” Isabeau nodded at her mother and headed up the stairs to get rid of the blood that stained her body. 

Yvette and Bartholmieu watched as their daughter climbed up the stairs and disappeared from their line of vision. Bartholmieu placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “She’s not our little girl anymore. She’s a hunter, fully capable of taking care of herself.” Yvette said nothing but continued to stare where her daughter left her sight. 

Bartholmieu leaned down on his knees next to her. Yvette took in a shaky breath and nodded. “I know she’s strong, I-I just… I just worry about her. Not just her hunting, she has my powers and your powers combined. An elemental and a wiccan. A hybrid.” 

Yvette clutched her husband's hand in fear. Bartholmieu smiled, reaching up to pull her close and place a kiss on her temple. “I know, she’s a target from both sides. But I have faith. Isabeau is our daughter and we raised her well. Taught her right from wrong. She knows how to use her powers for the better.” 

Yvette felt at ease with Bartholmieu’s words. Yvette knew the dangers of hunting, she knew that her daughter would follow the family business. Yvette looked back at her life when she was her daughters age. A fully capable fire elemental and a hunter. Fighting alongside her own father and brothers. And soon fighting with the witch and hunter, who was now her husband Bartholmieu. It was never easy for them, but it turned out alright in the end. 

Bartholmieu stood up and pulled Yvette up with him, leading them both to the kitchen. “Come, Isabeau is gonna want a piece of cheesecake with her tea.” Yvette chuckled at his statement. “You spoil our daughter.” 

“Only because you let me.”


	2. Prologue: Elemental Wiccan Pt.2

Isabeau stepped down the stairs in a fresh new set of clothing. She was wearing her ‘Led Zeppelin’ t-shirt, fully showing off her right arm tattoo sleeve, black faded ripped jeans, a new pair of black boots, a multitude of rings adorned her fingers since she only really wears them when not hunting, and had her grandfather's rosary beads wrapped multiple times around her right wrist. 

Isabeau wasn’t exactly religious, she never went to sunday school like the majority of the kids she grew up with did, and never really was one with going to church. She never was against going but it was just her experiences that made her outlook on them slightly negative. Nothing like people telling her that her pansexuality was a sin and that she should ask for god’s forgiveness. Yeah, not the best idea to get people to go to church. 

Nevertheless, Isabeau wore the rosary since they were one of the very few things that she had left of her grandfather. 

She walked into the kitchen and dried her damp white hair with a towel. She stopped short once she saw her parents talking at the diner table, both with cups of coffee in their hands and another cup filled with tea and slice of cheesecake next to her mother. Isabeau pulled the towel away from her head and rolled it up in her arms, letting her hair dry naturally. 

“I didn’t expect cheesecake. I thought I was in trouble?” Isabeau asked. Placing the towel on the chair next to her and taking a seat in front of her tea and food. She immediately dug into the cheesecake and took sips of tea in between. 

Bartholmieu chuckled at his daughter. “No, you’re not in trouble. But as your mother said before. Let us know when you go on hunts, where the hunt is and when you are done.” Isabeau leaned back in her chair, ready to argue, but her father put his hand up. “I’m not done. Let us know these things… when you can. You don’t have to call on every hunt, but occasionally check in on us just to let us know that you’re…” 

“Alive?” Isabeau finished for him. Her parents were silent. Neither of them wanted to think that way. 

Isabeau nodded. “I understand. Completely. I do.” Silence hung between the three of them. 

Bartholmieu suddenly chuckled. “You know, I’m proud of you, Isabeau. This is your third vampire nest this month. How’d you do it?” Isabeau laughed at her father while Yvette smacked him in the chest. 

“What?” He looked at his wife. “I want to know how she did it! If she used her powers or not! Aren’t you curious?” Yvette rolled her eyes and looked back to Isabeau, waiting for an answer. She was quite curious herself. 

“No, no powers used. Just my wit and a machete. No fire power, or moving objects. Pure brute force.” Isabeau explained. Isabeau always embraced her powers on a hunt. Having the power of being a fire elemental from her mother and the ability to cast spells, and all things wiccan from her father did help on hunts. Though more recently Isabeau has been relying on her own strength and methods. Acting more like a human hunter than a supernatural hybrid. 

Her parents nodded at her, Yvette getting up from the table to clean the bloodied clothes that Isabeau came back in. Bartholmieu scooted closer to his daughter asking more about how she found the nest in the first place. 

Hours passed as the three talked, cleaned and watched the sun rise over the horizon, waiting for the three boys to wake up and come down or breakfast. 

Isabeau smiled as the boys footsteps echoed throughout the house like thunder. The three immediately attached themselves to their older sister, questions flowing out of them. Isabeau couldn’t help but smile and laugh at her brothers, telling them an over the top story on how she was able to take down the nest of vampires. 

Yvette and Bartholmieu smiled at their children while cooking breakfast for all of them. Isabeau was gesturing her hands about with a smile on her face, almost as if her hunt was a tall tale to amuse her brothers. And it amused them, they laughed at her ridiculous acting, occasionally falling to the ground to represent the vampires she killed. 

Isabeau knew that telling her brothers about her hunt was gruesome but this was her family. A family grown up to see gruesome as something normal. She knew that any normal children would have been scarred for life from hearing her stories and seeing the remains of corpses. And her brothers weren’t normal.

Strange enough, even though their parents were both supernatural beings, Isabeau was the only hybrid. Alphonse and Dion were both wiccans from their father, while Eugene was the other fire elemental in the family. 

Yvette came over placing plates filled with waffles, fruits, bacon, the works for a giant breakfast. Isabeau moved to help her parents set everything at the table, grabbing juice from the fridge and the coffee pot. 

She laughed as Dion placed a raspberries on his fingers, wiggling them at her. The sudden ring of the doorbell pulled her away from her youngest brother. “I’ll get it.” Isabeau told her parents, setting down the juice and coffee and jogged to the door with a smile. 

When she opened the door, her smile slightly faded when she saw who knocked on the door. A man, a few years older than her with dark blonde short hair, green eyes with light freckles dusting his face. Isabeau was shocked. The man smiled at her. “Hey sweetheart, missed me?” 

Isabeau broke out into a laugh and lunged towards him, embracing him in a tight hug. “Dean! You bet your ass I missed you!” Dean chuckled, tightening his arms around her torso, enjoying the hug. 

“Easy there sweetheart, don’t go hurting yourself.” Isabeau rolled her eyes at Dean. She pulled away from him, taking her hand in his and pulling him inside the house. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Isabeau closed the door behind her and looked into his eyes. 

Dean swallowed, smiling weakly at her. “It’s dad, he’s been on a hunting trip and he hasn’t come back.” Isabeau bit her lip. “Your kidding.” Dean scoffed. “I wish I was.” 

“Dean?” Yvette walked over to both of them with a smile on her face. Dean smiled back, equally as happy to see her. “Mrs. Fitzgerald! Wonderful to see you!” Dean grunted in surprise as Yvette pulled him into a strong hug. “Dean please, how many times have I told you to call me Yvette?” 

Dean smiled at her when she pulled away. “Too many times.” Yvette shook her head at him. 

“Dean! My boy. Good to see you.” Bartholmieu and Dean chuckled and gave each other what Isabeau could only describe as a man hug. A good hardy slap on the back and never hugging for too long. 

“Good to see you too, Bartholmieu.” Dean smiled. Bartholmieu put an arm around Dean’s shoulder and guided him into the kitchen. “Come on, we’re having breakfast. Join us!” 

Dean was about to oppose, but then he saw the monstrous amount of food on the table, especially the waffles. He turned to Isabeau and pointed at her. “Your waffles?” Isabeau crossed her arms and gave him a look. “Who’s else's?” 

Dean smiled, rubbing his hands together. “Don’t mind if I do. Hey kiddo’s what’s up?” Dean exclaimed taking the seat besides Alphonse. “Dean!” The brothers were beyond happy to see what they referred to their older brother, Dean. 

Isabeau smiled as both of her parents and herself took a seat at the table, Isabeau sitting next to Dean, her father next to her and then her mother in between him and Eugene. 

And just like that, the talk of hunting became obsolete. The family shared what Dean missed out on in the past two years, how Isabeau graduated college with her art history degree, the boys own activities; Alphonse being the top of his class for science, Eugene taking interest on working with his grandfather to rebuild old machinery, and Dion taking in an interest in cooking and baking with his father. 

Dean himself shared what little part of his life that didn’t involve hunting, which wasn’t much. They all already knew about Sam getting away from the hunter life, going off to college himself and having a happy relationship with his girlfriend Jess, so Dean didn’t say anything about him. 

As the meal went on Isabeau couldn’t help but occasionally steal glances at Dean while he listened to her brothers talk about what they and their friends did in their free time. He was just as handsome as she remembered him two years ago. If not maybe even more. She also couldn’t prevent her heartstrings from tugging seeing him so happy. She could tell he hadn’t had a home cooked meal in awhile and loved that he had a strong love for food like she did. 

Dean himself couldn’t keep his eyes off of Isabeau. She grew into a stunning woman in the past two years that he didn’t see her. Her white hair got significantly longer, which Dean always thought her white hair was beautiful. He noticed that she fully completed her right arm sleeve tattoo and still wore the rosary beads that mean so much to her. Her love of rock music didn’t go away either, proved by the t-shirt she wore. 

For the first time in a long time, Dean felt happy. Isabeau and her family were home to him, they took him and Sam in when their father wasn’t there at times. Isabeau’s parents treated the two brothers like sons of their own. Of course, the Winchester’s knew about Isabeau’s family as well. They were a family of elementals and wiccans but also hunters. A part of the supernatural that fought for the safety of humanity because all they wanted was peace. 

As breakfast finished, both Dean and Isabeau made their way to the front porch and sat at the small table, Dean with a cup of coffee and Isabeau with her go to tea. “So, art history?” Dean smiled , taking a sip of his coffee. 

Isabeau nodded, smiling as well. “Yep. Surprising, huh?” 

“Very. You took a break from hunting I guess to get it?” 

Isabeau pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Nope. hunting never stopped Dean, only slowed down. I got my degree but haven’t done anything with it for the year after I graduated. Hunting became my life again, well sort of.” Isabeau jutted her head to her family inside. 

“I hunt when I need to, it helps that my family have hunted and well you know what we are. That’s my life Dean. It will also be filled with the supernatural and death. But it also doesn’t prevent me from living happily with my family. Honestly, the degree is plan B, once this is all over.” Isabeau explained to Dean, taking a sip from her tea. 

Dean nodded, taking all of it in. He wrapped his knuckles on the table. “Too bad that didn’t happen for us.” Isabeau sighed, he was referring to himself, Sam, their father John and their deceased mother, Mary. Isabeau knew that if whatever killed their mother never happened, the four of them would be living a happy life. 

Dean rubbed his face and leaned back in his chair. “But I’m happy for you. I am.” The sound of her brothers screaming happily throughout the house made him stop and chuckle. “Those little tikes grew up fast.” 

Isabeau smiled fondly at Dean. “Yeah, they did. It’s scary. Seeing them grow up this fast.” Isabeau shook her head. “Anyway.” She set her cup down and folded her hands in her lap. “John’s missing you said? Why'd you come see me?” 

Dean smiled, placing a hand on Isabeau’s knee. “I was hoping you could help me find him. Grab Sammy. Get the old team back together?” Isabeau bit her lip, looking away from Dean and looking out into the field. 

Go back to hunting with the boys. Isabeau thought about it for a moment. Like she said, she wasn’t doing anything with that degree and hunting was already a full time job for her. What could be the harm? 

Isabeau clicked her tongue and turned back to Dean. “Fuck it. Why not? Get the old gang back together. Plus, I get to spend some time with my boys.” Dean smiled and patted the leg that his hand was on. “Back your bag sweetheart.” 

***

“Call me when you get there.” 

“Mom.” 

“And tell Sam we all said hi.” 

“Mom.”

“And don’t forget your spell book no matter what!” 

“Mom!” 

“What?” Yvette exclaimed as Isabeau stared wide-eyed at her mother. Isabeau took her mother's hands off her shoulders and squeezed them tight. “I’ll be fine. Just one quick trip with my boys to help find John and then I’m back home. Promise.” 

Yvette sighed, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. “You die, I’ll resurrect you kill you myself.” Isabeau rolled her eyes at her mother’s words. “Yeah okay mom.” Isabeau and her mother pulled away, only to be pulled into another hug by her father. 

“Be careful.” Bartholmieu whispered to Isabeau. Isabeau softly smiled. “Always.” She whispered back. 

They nodded to each other and pulled away. She chuckled as her brothers ran over to her and tackled her in a group hug. “Be good you gremlins.” Isabeau ruffled their heads and handed them a piece of paper with multiple numbers written on it. “If you three need anything call me, okay?” They nodded, Eugene and Dion running back to their parents while Alphonse stayed. 

Alphonse took the piece of paper, folding it up and putting it in his pocket. “Beau.” 

Isabeau stared at Alphonse waiting for him to continue. Alphonse took out a single black jeweled teardrop earring and placed it in her hand. “For protection.” Isabeau smiled at Alphonse, and immediately placed the earring in her right ear. 

“I’ll wear it forever. Be good.” Alphonse nodded, hugging his sister one last time before running to his brothers. 

Isabeau gave them all a wave, opening the passenger door of Dean’s Impala. “Take care of my baby!” Isabeau shouted at her father who shouted back that he will. 

She slid into the passenger seat of the impala and closed the door. “Ready whenever you are, De.” Isabeau called Dean by his old nickname. Dean chuckled, turning the impala on, AC-DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ playing from it’s speakers. 

“With you, Beau, I’m always ready.” Dean smiled, placing a hand on Isabeau’s thigh. The two of the setting out on grabbing Sam and setting out to search for John. 


	3. Party of Three Pt.1 (pilot)

Isabeau leaned against the drivers side of the impala, looking up at the apartment where Sam and his girlfriend, Jess, lived. "Are you seriously going to break into your brother's apartment?" Isabeau looked over her shoulder at Dean who nodded. 

“Of course! You're gonna join me?” Dean asked. 

Isabeau shook her head. “No. I’m not gonna break into one of my best friends' apartments and say, ‘Hey Sam, sorry we haven’t seen each other in 2 years and I’m breaking into your apartment, by the way how are you?’ Yeah, no.” 

Dean shrugged. “Your loss. Wait here.” Isabeau rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “Like I have anywhere else to go.” 

Dean patted Isabeau’s shoulder and walked towards Sam’s and Jessica’s apartment. Isabeau huffed out into the night air, folding her arms waiting for Dean to come back with Sam. 

It’s been not even a day since Isabeau left home to go on her adventure with Dean. Hell she didn’t even know where they were headed off to once Dean grabbed Sam to continue the journey of finding their dad. Dean was kind of keeping her in the dark, which she did not appreciate. Isabeau only guessed that Dean didn’t want to explain everything twice to her and Sam. 

Isabeau chuckled as she was brought back to a time when the three were teenagers and hunted together when the boy's father was off on his own. Sam was the one that usually did the research, Dean was more often than not the brute force and Isabeau had her own place with protecting the three against the thing they were hunting for. Not to mention her spells and fire power did a fair amount of damage. 

She remembered that John was always hesitant about Isabeau going off hunting with his sons, but he knew he had no say in the matter. If your parents were fine with it, John couldn’t say shit against it. Though her parents approval of a hunt didn’t always mean they weren’t worried about her, calling her up every couple hours to see how the hunt was going. 

In all honestly Isabeau was surprised that her mother didn’t call yet to check up on her. Her mother was always overprotective, even when going out on hunts that were a simple kill and leave. 

Isabeau took out her phone. No new messages or missed calls. She kind of already missed her overprotective mama bear. Isabeau snorted at her own thoughts. She was already missing home. Missing the three gremlins she called her brothers, running amuck. Alphonse and Dion trying out new spells in the living room, the aftermath ending with things being flown around the room and the occasional broken items. There was also Eugene that was still in the midst of controlling his fire element, every once in a while something would catch fire; whether it be the living room curtains or trying to lend a helping hand with cooking dinner but would just end up burning the food to a crisp. 

Although she was already missing home like crazy, a part of her needs this. A chance to go off hunting without having to go home right away after the hunt is finished. An opportunity to branch away from family life for awhile. Plus, maybe spending some time with Dean and Sam could be good for her. To see her two best friends that she’s known for pretty much all of her life. 

Isabeau suddenly tensed up, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stick up. Someone was watching her. Isabeau pulled her gun from her back pocket, aiming towards the direction where she felt someone was watching. But she was only met with darkness that consumed one of the stairwells leading to the upstairs apartments. 

She squinted into the darkness, taking cautious steps to the stairwell and away from the impala. She stepped into the stairwell, eyes darting around to find her target. There was nothing. Isabeau tilted her head in confusion and returned her gun into her back pocket. She could’ve sworn she felt someone watching her. 

The sudden shutting of a door made Isabeau jump. She turned back towards the impala and smiled once she heard who was talking. 

“The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets?” She saw Sam and Dean climb up the small flight of stairs and stood next to the impala. “Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors.” Sam said. 

“So ,what are you gonna do? Are you just gonna live some normal, apple-pie life? Is that it?” Dean countered back. Isabeau rolled her eyes. Dean didn’t exactly like the idea of Sam leaving hunting to live a normal life. Unlike Dean, Isabeau was happy for Sam. He was happy, even if it meant not getting caught up in hunting. 

“No, not normal. Safe.” Sam stabbed back. Wasn’t wrong there. 

“And that’s why you ran away.” Dean scoffed. 

“I was just going to college. It was dad who said if I was gonna go, I should stay gone.” Sam said. Yeah, Isabeau had a difficult talk with John about that one. “And that’s what I’m doing.” 

“Yeah well, dad’s in real trouble right now if he’s not dead already. I can feel it.” Dean paused. “We can’t do this one alone.” 

“Yes, you can.” Sam reassured Dean. 

“Yeah.” Dean looked away from Sam. “Well, I don’t want to.” 

Sam sighed and bit his lip. “What was he hunting?” Sam then furrowed his brow. “You said ‘we’?” 

Dean nodded with a grin, but it fell the moment it appeared. He looked around, “Yeah, where is she?” 

Isabeau chuckled at Dean, stepping out of the shadows. “Sorry, thought I heard something. Just a stray cat.” Isabeau lied through her teeth, not wanting to bother the two with her own paranoia. 

“Isabeau?” Sam whispered out and Isabeau and him locked eyes. A smile stretched across both of their faces. “Sam.” Both jogged up to each other, coming together into a bone crushing hug. 

Dean back at the impala, watching with a fond smile at the scene in front of him. “How have you been?” Sam asked, still hugging Isabeau tightly. Isabeau chuckled into Sam’s chest, after all he was a giant compared to her. “I’ve been okay, better now that I get to see you and Dean again.” 

They both pulled away from the hug, smiles still ever present. Isabeau’s gaze took all of Sam in. Just like his older brother, Sam turned into a looker. Though his own features were still softer compared to his brother, Isabeau loved that about Sam. A tall soft giant that she loved. “How about you? I know we talked on the phone and everything, but it’s still so good to see you.” 

Sam chuckled with a nod. “Going good. Jess and I we’re… happy.” Isabeau raised an eyebrow at Sam and then punched his arm playfully. “You better be. I’ll kick your ass if you don’t treat her right.” 

Sam shook his head, “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Isabeau smirked at Sam but then turned to Dean. “Let’s get started shall we? You haven’t told me shit yet, so start explaining.” 

Dean nodded, both her and Sam walking back towards the impala. Dean popped open the trunk, then opened up the spare tire compartment, though it housed Dean’s and now Isabeau’s added, arsenal. 

He props it open with a shotgun and starts to dig through the clutter. “All right, let’s see. Where the hell did I put that thing?” 

“So when dad left, why didn’t go with him?” Sam inquired, leaning on the trunk with his hands.

Isabeau raised a brow, standing next to Sam. “My thoughts exactly.” 

“I was working on my own gig. This ah, voodoo thing down in New Orleans.” Dean explained. 

Sam scoffed. “Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?” Sam then looked at Isabeau. “Without her?” Isabeau smirked at Sam’s comment. John was never for one letting Dean go out on a hunt alone. Most of the time he asked Isabeau to team up with Dean if John wasn’t able to.

Dean looked at Sam. “I’m 26, dude.” He then gestured to Isabeau. “Plus, Isabeau had her own thing going on. She’s been taking hunts with her parents.” 

Isabeau made a noise that sounded like a buzzer. “Wrong. Been taking on hunts by myself. My parents ‘retired’ from hunting.” Isabeau did air quotes with her fingers when she said retired. 

Sam’s forehead creased. “You’re younger than Dean and they let you go out alone?” Isabeau tilted her head at Sam with smug smirk. “Still older than you though, Stretch.” 

Sam rolled his eyes playfully. “By a year.” Isabeau shrugged. “Still older. Ow!” Dean smacked Isabeau’s arm. Isabeau glared at him, but softened at the side smirk that he gave her and went back to rifling around the trunk. 

“All right, here we go.” Dean pulled out papers. “So dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California.” 

“About a month ago, this guy-” He handed one of the papers to Isabeau, she put it between her and Sam. “They found his car, but he’d vanished. Completely M.I.A.” 

“So maybe he was kidnapped.” Sam suggested. 

Dean clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Yeah, well, here’s another one in April, another one in December ‘04, ‘03, ‘98, ‘92, ten of them over the past 20 years-” He grabbed the paper from Isabeau’s hand. 

“All men, all same 5-mile stretch of road.” He said as he put the papers back where he pulled them from and grabs a bag from another part of the compartment. “Started happening more and more, so dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I haven’t heard from him since, which is bad enough,” 

Isabeau was slightly glaring at Dean with the new information. Why didn’t he come to get her sooner? 

Dean grabs a handheld tape recorder. “And then I get this voice mail yesterday.” Dean hits the play button on the recorder. 

The audio is clearly distorted as John’s voice comes from the recording. “Dean, something is starting to happen. I think it’s serious. I need to try to figure out what's going on. It may...” The recording for a moment was indistinguishable before it came back. “Be very careful, Dean. We’re all in danger.” 

Dean presses stop, Isabeau nudges Sam, distinctly telling him to speak up, and so he does. “You know there’s EVP on that?” 

“Not bad, Sammy. Kind of like riding a bike, isn’t it?” Dean says, but Sam shakes his head. 

Dean rewound the message. “ All right. I slowed the message down and ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got.” Dean played the message once more. 

The three could hear a female whispering in the recording saying, “I can never go home.” Dean stopped the recording.

Sam blinked while Isabeau bit her lip. “Never go home.” Isabeau whispered out. 

Dean drops the recorder back into the compartment, takes down the shotgun, closes the trunk of the impala and leans on it. “You know, in almost two years. I’ve never bothered you, never asked you for a thing.” 

Sam sighs, looking away from his brother and now looking at Isabeau. Her eyes bored into his. Isabeau hated dragging Sam away from his life, he wanted out and he got out. Isabeau knew that she wasn’t exactly being the greatest friend at that moment. Silently asking Sam to come along with them, even if it was for one last time. She was being selfish, she wanted to spend some time with her boys before it was all truly over. 

Sam placed a hand on Isabeau’s shoulder giving it a light squeeze before turning back to Dean. “All right, I’ll go. I’ll help you find him, but I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here.” Dean nodded. 

Sam turns to go back to his apartment but stops once Dean speaks. “What’s first thing Monday?” 

“I have an interview.” 

“What, a job interview? Skip it.” 

“Dean.” Isabeau threatens him. 

Sam forces out a weak laugh. “It’s a law-school interview, and it’s my whole future on a plate.” Isabeau smiled softly at Sam. That’s her Sam, the smartest of the bunch. 

“Law school?” Dean smirks. 

“So we got a deal or not?” Sam asks, but Dean says nothing. Isabeau waves Sam off. “Go back your back and say goodbye to Jess. I’ll talk to your blockhead of a brother.” 

Sam smiled at Isabeau. He almost forgot what it was like to have Isabeau around. Her caring nature, her constant support, and her light hearted personality that could make both of the brothers go soft. Sam missed her, more than he thought he would. And with her being back for this hunt for his dad, made him want Isabeau to stick around for awhile after the search was done and over. Yeah the occasional phone calls were one thing but Sam wanted her back in his life. He wanted his best friend back. 

Isabeau chuckled, lightly pushing him. “Go.” She whispered. Sam raised his hands in defense, heading back to his apartment. 

Once Sam was out of sight and out of earshot, Isabeau stomped towards Dean, folding her arms and staring at him deadpan. Dean felt like he was being scolded just by her look. “What?” 

Isabeau huffed. “I swear, I’m gonna kick your ass one of these days Winchester.” 

Dean just smirked leaning towards her. “I thought you liked my ass, sweetheart?” 

Isabeau scoffed, slapping his arm lightly. In her own mind, she didn’t disagree. It was a cute ass. “In your dreams.” 

“Oh, I have.” 

“...Dear god have mercy on my soul.” Isabeau face palmed and leaned back on the impala next to Dean. Dean swung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. “You love me, sweetheart.” He gave her a smug smile. 

Isabeau snorted out a laugh. “You got me there, Winchester.” 

Isabeau looked back towards Sam's apartment, whispering out, “You got me there.” 


	4. Party of Three Pt.2 (pilot)

It was the next morning, the impala was parked in front of a gas station. Isabeau and Sam decided to wait in the car while Dean went inside to get whatever the hell he wanted. 

Isabeau and Sam were talking about whatever came to their minds. The two felt good catching up with each other. Isabeau pretty much knew what Sam was up to these past two years, and so Sam was curious to know what Isabeau was doing. She never really talked about the details of her life over the phone. 

Sam was sitting in the passenger seat of the impala with a box in his hands, rifling through them. “You hunted while in college? You must’ve been going crazy.” Sam turned to Isabeau who was sitting in the backseat of the impala. 

Isabeau nodded, leaning forward, putting her arms over the front seat. “Insane is more like it. Pulling multiple all-nighters to study for a test and my free time was committed to hunting. Never caught a break.” 

Sam nodded. “Have you ever thought about, you know, leaving it behind?” 

Isabeau sighed and gave Sam a look. “Sam, you and I both know that I can’t leave it.” 

“Why not? No one is stopping you. You could live a safe, normal life.” 

“I’m far from normal Sam. I was a part of the supernatural since the second I was born. I can’t just shimmy my way out of this. It’s always going to be a part of my life whether I like it or not.” Isabeau explained. Sam knew that there was no fighting her on the matter because she was right. 

What she was, she couldn’t just leave. Sam didn’t want her to be right about the situation. He didn’t want her life to just be hunting. He wanted her to use that degree that she worked her ass off for. Have a family, maybe even have a couple of kids. But he knew deep down that even if she did settle down, her partner and her own kids, if she chooses to have any, would be dragged into the supernatural. 

Sam cleared his throat, going back to the box in his hands. “Sorry.” 

Isabeau scoffed. “Don’t be… let me see that.” Sam chuckled, handing her the box of cassette tapes. Isabeau took the box in her hands and began rifling through it, trying to find something good. 

“Hey, you want breakfast?” Dean called out to Sam and Isabeau. 

Sam leaned out of the passenger door to look at his brother, “No thanks.” Dean leaned over to the back seat window, holding up junk food in Isabeau’s vision. Isabeau stuck one of her hands out of the window grabbing a bag of chips from his hand. “Don’t mind if I do.” She placed it besides her, going back to her task. 

“So, how’d you pay for that stuff? You and dad still running credit-card scams?” Sam leaned over picking a few cassette tapes and giving them a once over. 

“Yeah,well, hunting ain’t exactly a pro-ball career.” Dean answered, putting the gas nozzle back on the pump. “Besides, all we do is apply. It’s not our fault they send us the cards.” 

Sam chuckled. “Yeah and what names did you write on the application this time?” Sam swings his legs back into the car and closes the door. 

“Uh… Burt Aframian and his son, Hector.” Dean gets into the driver seat, placing his soda and chips down and closes the door. “Scored two card out of the deal.” 

Isabeau gave a small chuckle. “Sounds like nothings changed.” Isabeau handed the box back to Sam. 

“I swear, man.You got to update your cassette-tape collection.” Isabeau looked at Sam like he had grown two heads. Dean was just as confused. “Why?” 

“Well, for one- they’re cassette tapes, and two- Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica?” Sam listed off the names on the tapes. Isabeau wanted to grab the Metallica tape but Dean beat her to it. “It’s the greatest hits of mullet rock.” 

“Well, house rules, Sammy,” Dean plopped the tape into the player. “Driver picks the music,” 

“Shotgun shuts his cake hole.” Isabeau finishes with a smug smile. Dean and her share a smile before Dean drops the Metallica box back in with the other tapes in the box. 

“Sammy is a chubby 12-year-old, it’s Sam, okay?” Sam said. He never did like that nickname. The music begins to play. 

“Sorry, I can’t hear you. The music’s too loud.” Dean said with a smirk. Isabeau shook her head, leaning back into her seat. Yeah the music was loud, but it could be a little louder. Isabeau lifted her finger up, turning it to the right. The volume button on the player followed the movement of her finger, turning the music up a tad bit louder. 

Dean looked back at Isabeau and gave a whole hearted laugh, seeing that she was using her powers to turn the music up. “That’s my Beau!” Sam shook his head with a chuckle. Yeah he wasn’t too fond of the music but seeing Isabeau use her powers for a little bit of fun, brought him back to a relatively normal part of his childhood when the three of them were together and not hunting. 

And with that Dean drove out of the gas station and on their way to Jericho. 

***

Isabeau leaning against the door, holding a rose quartz pendulum in her hand over a map of Jericho. The pendulum was going around and around in circle the moment they passed by a sign that said, “Jericho 7”. 

Sam hangs up his phone, “All right, so there’s no one matching dad at the hospital or morgue. So that’s something, I guess.” Sam looks back at Isabeau, who was concentrating on her spell. “Got anything, Beau?” 

Isabeau sighed, a little annoyed. She placed her pendulum back in her pocket and folded up the map with a shake of her head. “Nothing. It’s weird, usually I can get something. A general area at least, but nothing.” 

Dean glances at Isabeau and then back at the road. There’s a bridge ahead of them, with police cars and officers. “Check it out.” Both Sam and Isabeau lean forward to get a closer look. 

Dean pulls over the impala across from the bridge and officers and turns off the engine. Isabeau leans on the open window of the backseat, brow furrowed. Dean leans over to the glove compartment and pulls out a box filled with fake ID cards with his and John’s face on them. He picks one out and smiles at Sam. 

Sam looks back at Isabeau, and pauses once he sees that she took out her own fake ID from her pocket. “Let’s go, Stretch.” Both Dean and Isabeau get out of the car with Sam sighing but reluctantly following them. 

On the bridge, what Isabeau could only assume to be the deputy, leans over the bridge, calling down to two men in wet suits. “Did you guys find anything?” 

“No! Nothing!” One of the men called back. The deputy turns back to a lone car in the middle of the bridge, sighing as he leaned down to take a look inside. “No sign of struggle, no footprints, no fingerprints- spotless.” The other deputy responded. “It’s almost too clean.” 

Isabeau,Sam and Dean walked into the crime scene like it was a walk in the park for them. They listened as the deputies spoke, not noticing them yet. “So this kid Troy, he’s dating your daughter, isn’t he?” 

“Yeah.” 

“How’s Amy doing?” 

“She’s been putting up missing posters downtown.” The other deputy nodded. 

That’s when Dean spoke up. “You fellas had another one like this last month, didn’t you?” The deputy who was leaning over, straightens back up as Dean talks to him. “And who are you?” 

Isabeau and Dean both hold up their ID’s. “Federal Marshals.” Isabeau responds and the two put them away after a few seconds. 

“You three are a little young for Marshals, aren’t you?” Dean laughs. “Thanks, that’s awfully kind of you.” Isabeau and Dean walk over to the car. “You did have another one just like this, correct?” 

“Yeah, that’s right, about a mile up the road.” The deputy responds. “There have been others before that.” 

Sam stepped up. “So this victim, you knew him?” 

The deputy nodded. “A town like this, everybody knows everybody.” Dean circled the car as Isabeau stood beside the drivers side tilting her head as the car. 

“Any connection between the victims besides that they’re all men?” Dean nudges Isabeau when he stops next to her. Isabeau took a breath, placing one of her hands on the car. Flashes of images crossed her mind, it was nighttime, Troy was running, running from someone who was after him. Everything became blurry, Isabeau saw the outside of his car on the bridge, his screams echoing out from the car and then blood splattered on the windows. 

Isabeau sighed, blinking away the images and shaking her head at Dean. She got nothing concrete. Dean patted her shoulder, his way of saying that it was okay, she tried. Psychometry was something new she was working on. Touching objects and looking into it’s past was a tough thing to do. 

“No. Not so far as we can tell.” The deputy answered. Sam walks over to Isabeau and Dean. “So what’s the theory?” 

“Honestly, we don’t know. Serial murder? Kidnapping ring?” 

“Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I’d expect out of you guys.” Sam stomps on Dean’s foot from the comment while Isabeau slaps his outer thigh. He couldn’t just shut up sometimes? 

Isabeau politely smiled at the deputy. “Sorry about him, thank you for your time.” Isabeau grabs Dean’s upper arm and guides him to walk away with Sam. 

“Gentlemen.” Sam says one last time as the deputy watches them go. Once they’re a good distance away, Isabeau let’s go of Dean’s arm only for him to wack the back of Dean’s head and slap Isabeau’s ass. Yeah she glared at him for that one. 

“Ow! What was that for?” Sam exclaimed, annoyed by his brother's actions. 

“Why do you have to step on my foot? And you! Slapping me?” Dean asked Sam and Isabeau just as annoyed. Isabeau rolled her eyes. She’s hit him harder than what she just did before. 

“Why did you have to talk to the police like that?” Sam countered back. Dean looks at Sam, “Come on.” He steps in front of the both of them, forcing them to stop. “They don’t really know what’s going on. We’re all alone on this. I mean if we’re gonna find dad, we’ve got to get to the bottom of this thing ourselves.” 

Isabeau’s eyes widen as she sees who's behind Dean, She clears her throat telling Dean to turn around and for the both of them to pay attention. Dean turns, it’s the sheriff and two FBI agents. “Can I help you boys? Lady?” The sheriff asks. 

“No, sir. We were just leaving.” He looks over at the two agents walking by them. “Agent Mulder, Agent Scully.” The three of them head past the sheriff, who turns to watch them walk away. 

***

The three headed into town, trying to find the girlfriend of Troy, Amy. They spotted her while walking down the street in front of a movie theater putting up missing posters with Troy’s face on it. 

“I’ll bet you that’s her.” Dean said. Sam agreed as they approached her. “You must be Amy.” Dean asked. 

“Yeah.” Amy said. 

Isabeau gave her a small smile. “Troy told us about you. These two are his uncles and I’m his aunt. This is Dean. This is Sam, and I’m Isabeau.” 

“He never mentioned you to me.” Amy said walking away. Dean chuckled, the three of them walking with her. “Well, that’s Troy, I guess. We’re not around much. We’re up in Modesto.” 

“So we’re looking for him,too. And we’re kind of asking around.” Sam interjected. 

Just then a young woman comes up next to Amy and places a hand on her arm. “Hey, are you okay?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Do you mind if we ask you a couple of questions?” Isabeau asked softly, hoping her calm nature would help them get answers. And it did. 

They went to a local diner, all five of them sitting in a booth. Amy and her friend whose name they found out was Rachel on one side and Dean, Isabeau and Sam on the other. Isabeau was slightly squished between the two, but her somewhat small stature made it work even with the two brothers being giants sitting next to her on both sides. 

“I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home. He said he would call me right back, and he never did.” Amy explained. 

“He didn’t say anything strange or out of the ordinary?” Sam asked. 

“No, nothing I can remember.” Amy says, shaking her head. 

“Here’s the deal, ladies, the way troy disappeared, something’s not right.” Dean said as Isabeau took a sip of her tea. Isabeau agreed with him silently. Yeah, blood splattering on his car windows was not right at all. “So if you’ve heard anything…” 

Amy and Rachel look at each other. “What is it?” Dean asks, knowing something was up. 

“Well, it’s just… I mean, with all these guys going missing, people talk.” Rachel says. 

“What do they talk about?” Both Sam and Dean speak in chorus. Isabeau smiled into her drink, she loved it when they spoke at the same time, it almost made her burst into giggles because of how cute it was. 

Rachel explains. “It’s kind of this local legend. This one girl, she got murdered out on centennial like decades ago.” Dean looked at Sam and Isabeau as they listened intently. “Well, supposedly, she’s still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up… well, they disappear forever.” 

Isabeau set her tea down, the three of them glancing at each other form the story. 

***

To get more information on this local legend that Rachel was talking about. Dean took to the computers, going onto the Jericho Herald and typed in “Female Murder Hitchhiking” into the search box and hit go. Unfortunately he came up with zero results. 

Dean goes back and replaces “Hitchhiking” with the word “Centennial Highway” as Isabeau and Sam watch. Still nothing comes up. 

“Let me try.” Sam goes to touch the mouse but Dean smacks his hand away. “I got it.” 

Sam shoves Dean’s chair away and takes his spot in front of the computer. “Dude!” Dean hits Sam’s arm. “You’re such a control freak.” 

Isabeau sighs, putting in her input. “So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?” 

“Yeah.” Dean agrees with her. 

“Then maybe it’s not murder.” Isabeau suggested. Sam caught onto her thinking and replaced “Murder” with “Suicide”. He hit go and ended up with only one result, “Suicide on Centennial”. 

Sam read the details of the result. “This was 1981.” Clicking on the article. “Constance Welch, 24 years old, jumps off Sylvania bridge, drowns in the river.” 

“Does it say why she did it?” Dean asks. 

“Yeah.” Sam answers with a furrowed brow. “What?” 

“An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Her two little kids are in the bathtub. She leaves them alone for a minute,” Isabeau closes her eyes and clenches her teeth, she knows what is coming next. “And when she comes back, they aren’t breathing. Both die.” 

Isabeau opens her eyes again and takes in a breath. She can’t imagine what that must have felt like. 

Dean hummed in response. Isabeau leaned forward taking a closer look at the article. “‘Our babies were gone, and Constance just couldn’t bear it, said husband, Joseph Welch.’” Isabeau read the quote from the article and noticed the familiarity of the pictures. 

“That bridge look familiar to you?” Dean noticed it too. Isabeau nodded. Back to the crime scene they go. Isabeau had a bad feeling about this. 

***

They went back to the bridge during the night, Troy’s car was gone and so were any official officers. The three walk along the bridge, then stop in the middle to lean over its side. Isabeau placed her hand on it’s ledge, images of a woman in white flashing in her vision. She pulled away. “So this is where Constance took the swan dive.” She told Dean and Sam. 

“So you think dad would have been here?” Sam asks, looking over at Dean. 

“Well, he’s chasing the same story, and we’re chasing him.” Dean and Sam walked away from the side while Isabeau stayed, looking down at the rushing water. She left the two brothers to talk among themselves, they needed it. There was too much pent up tension between them. It was a family problem, one that she didn’t need to get involved in unless she needed to.

She could hear the two bickering, Sam saying that he needed to get back by Monday for his interview and Dean mocking Sam’s attempt of having something normal. Isabeau sighed. She never knew why Dean couldn’t just let it go. Let Sam be happy, even if it meant not being with his brother and Dad. 

In a way, Isabeau wanted out too. Not to be a part of the things that she hunts. To be human, but she knew her life wouldn’t be exciting. Hunting gave her a sense of adventure, a fucked up sense of it, but she was saving people, making a difference. She knew she could never settle down with a human as well, it wouldn’t take too long for them to find out who she is and in doing so would put them in danger. She tossed out those dreams a long time ago too. The apple-pie life was a dream that was never going to happen. She thought that maybe she could find a relationship like her parents but as time was going by, her chances were becoming slim to none. 

She looked over at the brothers the moment that Dean shoves Sam up against a railing on the bridge. Her eyes widened, jogging over to the two. Now is when she steps in. “Hey! Hey! Dean let him go.” 

Silence fell between the three of them, Isabeau was ready to pull Dean off of Sam if her tried to do anything stupid. “Don’t talk about her like that.” Dean releases Sam and steps back. Isabeau lets out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding, she then froze as she saw what she only guessed to be Constance standing at the edge of the bridge. 

“Guys.” Isabeau stepped forward in front of the boys, gesturing towards Constance. The brothers come to stand next to Isabeau, all of their gazes were on Constance. 

Constance tuned towards them, then fell forward off the bridge. The three break out into a run and look over the railing, seeing that she disappeared. “Where’d she go?” Dean asked. 

“I don’t know.” Sam whispered out in confusion. Behind them, the engine of the impala suddenly roars to life, and the headlights turned on. 

“What the…” Dean mumbles. 

Isabeau could feel her chest tighten. “Who’s driving you car?” Sam asks. 

Dean digs into his pocket, pulling out his key and jingles them. The car jerks to life, heading straight towards them. Isabeau’s flight instincts kicked in, turning and running away from the oncoming car. Dean and Sam close behind her. 

“Go! Go!” Sam shouts at the two of them. Their running wasn’t fast enough as the car was becoming closer and closer. Just when it gets too close, Isabeau, Sam and Dean dive over the railing and the car comes to a screeching halt. 


	5. Party of Three Pt.3 (pilot)

Isabeau’s breathing was erratic as she held onto the side of the bridge along with Sam. She almost plunged into the rushing water down below, but Sam caught her and helped her hang onto the bridge. She looked down, praising god that Sam caught her in the first place. Water and her fire element didn’t mix well, sounded a bit cliche but it was true. Water made her inherently weaker and her firepower didn’t pack as much punch. 

Sam pulled himself up back onto the bridge and then helped Isabeau as well. “Thanks, Sam.” Sam nodded, the two of them looking over the edge. “Dean!” 

Isabeau sighed in relief as she saw Dean crawling out of the water. He was safe, but he was completely covered in what she only hoped to be mud. “What?” 

“Hey, are you alright?” Isabeau called down. `

Dean held up one hand with an A-OK sign. “I’m super.” 

Sam and Isabeau laughed, adrenaline leaving their bodies, relieved and also because of the fact that they weren’t in Dean’s place. 

A few minutes later, Dean was back up on the bridge with Isabeau and Sam, checking the car to make sure it was okay. Dean shuts the hood of the car. 

“Car all right?” Sam asks. Isabeau was keeping her distance from Dean, not enjoying the smell coming off from him at all. 

“Yeah, whatever she did to it, it seems all right now. That Constance chick… What a bitch!” Dean yelled out the last part where they first saw Constance. Isabeau snorted at Dean’s anger. He looked ridiculous. 

“Well, she doesn’t want us digging around, that’s for sure.” Sam said as Dean sighed, leaning against the hood of the car. “So where’s the trail go from here, genius?” Sam took a seat next to Dean who throws his arms up in frustration and flicks the mud off of his hands. 

Isabeau comes up next to Dean, sniffing the air around them, her face scrunching up in disgust. “You smell like a toilet.” Isabeau looks at Dean. Dean looks down at her comment. Like he didn’t know that already. 

***

Dean places his card on top of a handwritten guest ledger. “One room, please.” Since the three didn’t know where to go from their night out on the bridge, Isabeau suggested they go stay at whatever motel that was the closest so Dean can clean up and the three of them can decide where to go from there.

Dean was still obviously fifthly, it took all of Isabeau’s strength not to hurl at the smell. She can deal with blood, severed body parts, all types of gory stuff but this was a whole nother level of disgusting. 

The clerk picks up the card and then he looks back up at Dean. “You guys having a reunion or something?” 

“What do you mean?” Sam asks, confused by what the clerk meant. 

“That other guy, Bert Aframian. He came in and bought out a room for the whole month.” The clerk answered. Dean looks over and Sam and Isabeau. Isabeau would’ve laughed out loud at the situation. Out of all the motels, they just happened to pick the one John was staying at. 

***

Isabeau crouched down to come face to face with John’s motel room door. The brothers stood behind her, blocking anyone’s view of seeing her while she worked on the lock. Isabeau placed her hand on the doorknob, her eyes glowed blue for a brief second as she whispered out a string of words that didn’t sound like any language the boys have ever heard. 

Isabeau got up with a satisfied smile as the door unlocks. She opens the door and grabs Dean and Sam’s shoulders, yanking them inside and shutting the door behind them. “Woah.” Isabeau whispered out as the three looked around the room in awe. Every surface had papers pinned to it, you name it; maps, newspaper clippings, pictures, notes. There were books on the desk and assorted junk on the floor and bed. 

Dean goes to turn on the light, while Sam steps over a line of salt and Isabeau gets closer to the walls to look at everything that John rounded up. Dean recoiled as he sniffed a half eaten burger and placed it back down. “I don’t think he’s been here for a couple days at least.” 

Sam crouches down, rubbing the salt in between his fingers. “Salt, cat’s-eye shells. He was worried, trying to keep something from coming in. Both brothers walked over to Isabeau. “What do you got here?” Sam asked. 

Isabeau licked her lips, processing every bit of information she was seeing. “Centennial highway victims.” Isabeau huffed out, none of the victims connected. 

“I don’t get it. I mean, different men, different jobs, age, ethnicities.” Dean said while Sam goes to look at the papers on the other walls. “There’s always a connection, right? What do these guys have in common?” 

Isabeau looked over, her eyes finding research on devils and demons, another about sirens, witches, the possessed, but then her gaze landed on the “Woman in White” with the article from the Jericho Herald about Constance underneath it. 

She gestured Sam to the article, both coming together in front of it and Sam turning on the light. Sam scoffed. “Dad figured it out.” 

“What do you mean?” Dean asked. 

“He found the same article we did.” Sam responded. 

Isabeau’s lips pressed together. “Constance Welch. She’s a woman in white.” 

Dean looks over at all of Constance's victims. “You sly dogs.” He turns back to the two. “All right, so if we’re dealing with a woman in white, dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it.” 

“She might have another weakness.” Sam said. 

“No, dad would want to make sure. He’d dip her up. Does it say where she’s buried?” Dean asks, walking to them. 

Isabeau shook her head while Sam spoke. “No, not that I can tell. If I were dad, though, I’d go ask her husband,” Sam taps on the photo of Joseph Welch. “If he’s still alive.” 

Dean hummed in agreement. “All right, why don’t you see if you can find an address? I’m gonna get cleaned up.” 

Dean starts to walk away, but Sam stops him. “Hey, Dean, what I said earlier about mom and dad, I’m sorry.” 

Dean held his hand up. “No chick-flick moments.” 

Sam nods with a laugh. “All right, jerk.” 

“Bitch.” 

Isabeau rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Morons.” 

Sam chuckles as Dean disappears into the bathroom. Sam notices something, his smile disappears and walks forward to take a closer look. Sam takes a photo off the mirror which had John, Sam and Dean smiling happily while sitting on the roof of the impala, he smiles sadly at the photo. 

Isabeau’s gaze flickered from the photo back over to the rosary hanging in front of the mirror. Out of habit, she reached down to her right wrist and played with the rosary that was wrapped around it. 

***

Isabeau was sitting on the edge of the bed, hands in her lap, watching Sam pace the room, listening to the voicemail that Jessica left him. He sits down next to her, still listening. Dean comes out of the bathroom, shutting off the light, grabs his jacket, shrugging it onto one shoulder. 

“Hey, man. I’m starving.” He walks across the room. “I’m gonna grab a little something to eat at that diner down the street. You want anything?” He asks Sam. 

“No.” Sam answers. 

“Aframian’s buying.” 

Sam shakes his head. “Mnh-mnh.” 

Dean points to Isabeau but she shakes her head and waves her hands no. She wasn’t at the moment hungry for food. Something just wasn’t setting right with her at the moment. Dean shrugs, leaving the motel room and closing the door behind him. 

Isabeau looks over to Sam and smiles softly as he’s still listening to Jess’s message. His phone suddenly beeps, he pulls it away from his ear. Seeing that it’s Dean he puts it on speaker. “What?” He asks. 

“Dude, five-oh, take off.” Dean says. 

Isabeau’s eyes widen slightly, her and Sam standing up from the bed. “What about you?” Isabeau looked down at the phone, a little bit of anxiety blooming in her chest. 

“Uh, they kind of spotted me. Go find dad.” Dean ordered before hanging up the phone. Sam and Isabeau shared a look, before going over to the window, peeking out in between the curtains. They see one of the deputies, both pulled back away from the curtains and darted away from the window. 

It was time to find Joseph Welch and finish this case. 

***

Isabeau knocks on the door, after a few moments an old man opens it. Isabeau smiles, “Hi, um, are you Joseph Welch?” 

Joseph nods. “Yeah.” 

“Do you mind if you talk to you for a few minutes?” Sam asks. Joseph agrees and the three of them are soon walking down his junk filled driveway, Joseph holding the photo that Sam took from John’s motel room. 

“Yeah, he was older, but that’s him.” He handed back the photo to Sam. “He came by three or four days ago, said he was a reporter.” 

“That’s right.” Sam agreed, going along with whatever story John made up. “The three of us are working on a story together.” 

Joseph looked at Sam. “Well, I don’t know what the hell kind of story you’re working on… the questions he asked me.” 

“About your late wife Constance?” Sam asked.

“He asked me where she was buried.” 

Sam nodded. “And where is that again?” 

“What, I got to go through this twice?” 

Isabeau spoke up. “It’s fact checking, if you don’t mind.” 

Joseph sighed. “In a plot behind my old place over on Breckenridge.” 

“Why did you move?” Sam inquired. 

“I’m not gonna live in the house where my children died.” Joseph said. All of them sto when Sam asks another question. 

“Mr.Welch, did you ever marry again?” 

Joseph shook his head. His answer was almost immediate. “No way. Constance… she was the love of my life, prettiest woman I ever known.” 

“So you had a happy marriage?” Isabeau raised a brow at him. 

Joseph hesitated as he looked at Isabeau. “Definitely.” 

Isabeau’s lips pressed into a thin line. She smelt bullshit. She blinked and patted Sam’s arm. “Well, that should do it. Thanks for your time.” 

Isabeau and Sam walk over to the impala, Sam takes out the keys but doesn’t open the door. He looked up at Isabeau on the passenger side of the car. She nodded at Sam, licking her lips and turning towards the direction of Joseph. Both of them knew he was lying about having a happy marriage. 

“Mr. Welch, you ever hear of a woman in white?” Isabeau calls out. Joseph turned back to her. “A what?” 

“A woman in white or sometimes a weeping woman. It’s a ghost story. Well,” Isabeau chuckled, walking towards Joseph and Sam bringing up the rear. “It’s more of a phenomenon really. They’re spirits. They’ve been sighted for hundreds of years, dozens of places in Hawaii, Mexico, lately in Arizona, Indiana.” 

Isabeau was now face to face with Joseph. “All these are different women, you understand, but all share the same story.” 

Joseph lets out a breadth. “Girl, I don’t care much for nonsense.” Joseph walks away, but Isabeau follows anyway. She could feel anger pooling inside her. “You see, when they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them, and these women, basically suffering from temporary insanity,” Joseph stops. “Murdered their children.” 

Joseph turns around. Isabeau continues, “Then, once they realized what they had done, they took their own lives. So now their spirits are cursed, walking back roads, waterways, and if they find an unfaithful man, they kill him, and that man is never seen again.”

“You think... “ Joseph’s lip trembled with anger. “You think that has something to do with Constance, you smartass bitch?” 

Isabeau’s eye twitched at his last comment, she felt Sam’s hand wrap around her wrist, ready to pull her away if need be.. “You tell me.” 

“I mean, maybe… maybe I made some mistakes, but no matter what I did, Constance never would have killed her own children. Now, you get the hell out of here, and you don’t come back.” Joseph’s face was shaking with anger and what Isabeau thought was grief, she couldn’t tell. 

After a moment, Joseph turns away and walks back to his house. Isabeau closes her eyes, taking a deep sigh, twisting her hand so that her own and Sam’s were now holding each other. Sam squeezed her hand in comfort and she squeezed back. 

Sam then chuckles, trying to lighten up Isabeau’s mood. “Come on. We got to get my idiot brother a chance to get out of jail.” Isabeau scoffed ,holding out her hand that was free, “My turn.” 

Sam rolled his eyes playfully, fishing out the keys and dropping them in her hand. “Let’s go, Stretch.” 

***

It was nighttime once again, Isabeau was driving the impala while Sam called 911 with a fake story. He hung up the phone, “Hopefully that will give Dean some time.” Isabeau smiled, eyes focused on the road. 

“Hey.” Sam said softly. Isabeau hummed in response. 

Sam was quiet for a second. “Are you okay? You seemed like you wanted to rem Joseph a new one.” 

Isabeau’s knuckles turned white from clutching the steering wheel tightly, her jaw clenched. “I, uh,” Isabeau forced out a chuckle. “During high school, I was with this really sweet guy. He was handsome, funny, smart, all the cliche things. We were together for a long time. He, um, he was my first. First everything, I thought we were going to be together forever.” 

Sam furrowed his brow, “You never told me or Dean about him. What happened?” Sam watched as Isabeau’s face fell. 

“He, um, he was dating someone else while also being with me.” Isabeau fell silent. Sam’s jaw clenched at the information. If that guy was in front of Sam right now, he probably would be black and blue. 

Isabeau cleared her throat, and gave a laugh. “Though looking back at it now. I’m happy we didn’t end up being forever. I realized by the end of our relationship, my heart belonged somewhere else.” Isabeau shot Sam a sad glance before turning back to the road. 

Sam licked his lip, not understanding her intent. Before he could ask her what she meant, his phone rang and he picked up, putting it on speaker. “Fake 911 phone call, Sammy? I don’t know, that’s pretty illegal.” Dean said. 

Isabeau’s face broke out into a grin, as if she didn’t just tell Sam about her first love crashing and burning. 

“You’re welcome.” Sam grinned. 

“Listen, we got to talk.” 

“Tell me about it. So the husband was unfaithful. We are dealing with a woman in white. And she’s buried behind her old house. So, that should have been dad's next stop.” 

“Sammy, would you shut up for a second?” Dean asked. 

“I can’t figure out why he hasn’t destroyed the corpse yet.” Sam continued, ignoring Dean’s request. 

“Well that’s what I’m trying to tell you. He’s gone. Dad left Jericho.” 

“What? How do you know?” Sam asked. 

“I’ve got his journal.” 

Isabeau furrowed her brow. “John doesn’t go anywhere without that thing.” 

“Well, he did this time.” 

“What’s it say?” Sam spoke again. 

Isabeau could hear Dean, flipping through his dad’s journal. “Same old ex-Marine crap when he wants to let us know where he’s going.” 

“Coordinates, where to?” 

“I’m not sure yet.” 

Sam sighed. “Dean, what the hell is going on?” 

Isabeau glanced at Sam but when she turned back to the road, she saw Constance suddenly appear. “Whoa!” She slammed on the brakes, the tires screeched. 

“Sam! Isabeau!” She heard Dean shout from the line. Isabeau reached out to Sam when the car stopped, she was breathing heavily and felt her heart flutter from fear. 

“Take me home.” Isabeau and Sam jumped. They looked at the rear view mirror; Constance was in the backseat. 

“Take me home!” Constance said a little more aggressively this time. “Sam.” Isabeau whispered out. 

“No.” Sam was stoic, he wasn’t going to give her what she wanted. 

Constance glares and the doors lock themselves. Isabeau and Sam reach over and struggle to open them. Isabeau stops struggling to open her door once she sees the gear shift and gas pedal press down. The car begins to drive, and Isabeau tries to stir the wheel but it wouldn’t budge. 

“Isabeau!” Sam looks at her in fear. 

Isabeau’s hands start shaking, her voice cracking. “I’m not doing this!” Isabeau’s nerves were going haywire. 

Isabeau starts to slightly calm down once she realizes the car slowing down and pulling up to Constance’s house and stopping, the engine shutting off and so do the lights. 

“Don’t do this.” Sam said to Constance. 

Constance flickered in the back seat. “I can never go home.” 

Isabeau then realized. “You’re scared to go home.” Both of them look back and Constance is no longer there. They turn back and glance around, freezing when she’s sitting in between the two, her gaze is on Sam. Constance climbs into his lap, shoving him back hard enough to recline the front seats. 

Isabeau grimaced, watching Sam struggle against Constance. “Hold me. I’m so cold.” Isabeau glared at Constance, reaching back slowly to brag her gun from her back pocket. 

“You can’t kill me. I’m not unfaithful. I’ve never been!” Sam continues as he struggles against Constance. “You will be.” 

Constance then turns away from Sam and sets her eyes on Isabeau. “Because of her.” Isabeau starred in fear. Constance reaches out, grabs Isabeau the collar of her shirt, and pushes her onto Sam. 

Before Isabeau could stop Constance, her lips touched Sam’s. Both of them froze, wide-eyed at what was happening. 

Constance threaded her fingers through Isabeau’s hard, gripping a handful of it and threw Isabeau forcefully back into the driver's seat, her head banging against the window, breaking it in the process. Isabeau reflectively throws her hands up to the back of her head, her vision and everything around her becoming blurry. There was blood, and boy it was going to be a nasty lump in the morning. 

“Beau!” Despite what just happened, Sam was still worried about Isabeau’s well being. In that moment, Constance vanishes. Sam looks around, then screams out in pain and yanks his hoodie open. Five holes were being burned into Sam’s chest, matching Constance’s fingers. 

She flickers back on top of him, her hand reaching into his chest. Rage filled Isabeau’s chest as she pulled out her gun, but someone else beat her to it. Gunshots go off, shattering the passenger window as well. Isabeau looked over and saw Dean approaching, still shooting at Constance. 

Constance kept on flickering in and out as dean shot at her. Isabeau took the chance, leaning forward and starting the car. She glared at the house in front of her. “I’m taking you home.” She slams on the gas. Dean watches as she crashes through the side of the house and stops when she could go no further. She could hear Dean calling out to her and Sam. 

Dean rushes into the wreckage, running over to the passenger side of the car. “Sam! Beau!”

“Here!” Sam calls out. Isabeau groans, as shifts her body, trying to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. 

“You okay?” Dean asks. 

“I think.” Sam says as Dean rips open the passenger door. “Can you move?”

“Yeah, help me.” Dean takes Sam’s hand and helps him out of the car. Sam leans on the car as Dean reaches out his hand to Isabeau. “Beau?” 

Isabeau groans as she grabs Dean’s hand, and he drags her out of the car. He helps her stand up by putting an arm around her waist. Isabeau patted his arm. “I’m good.” He let go of her, seeing that she is able to stand on her own. 

They look up to see Constance staring at a framed photo which had a picture of her and her two children when they were alive. She looks up at them and glares, throwing the photo down and moving out the way. A bureau scoots toward the three, all of them letting out groans as it pinned them to the car. 

Isabeau juts out her hands, the bureau moving forward suddenly, but to only come back to pushing against them. “God damn it!” Isabeau cried out in anger. Her hand felt like it was put through a blender, making her concentration and strength weak. Not to mention Constance was really pissed now, so that was an added boost for Constance. 

The lights start to flicker and water begins to pour down the staircase. Constance looks up at the top of the staircase scared. She goes over, at the top are a boy and girl hidden in the shadows, both of them hold hands and speak in chorus. “You’ve come home to us, Mommy.” 

Suddenly her children are behind her, and she turns looking at them distraught. They embrace her tightly and she screams, her image flickering in and out. In a sudden burst of energy, both Constance and her children melt into a puddle on the floor. 

Sam and Dean look at each other while Isabeau juts her out once more, moving the bureau back to its original spot. The three walk over to where Constance and her children vanished. 

“So this is where she drowned her kids. Dean asks. 

Sam nods. “That’s why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them.” 

“You found her weak spot. Nice work, Sammy.” Dean slaps Sam on the chest where his burns were and walks away, throwing his shoulder over Isabeau, guiding her to the car with him. 

“Ah!”Sam laughed through the pain. “I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face, you freak?” 

Isabeau pointed at Sam, “Hey! He saved your ass before I could shoot the bitch myself.” 

Dean then pointed to Isabeau. “I’ll tell you something.” Dean leans over to look at the car. “If you screwed up my car,” He turned to Isabeau. “I’ll kill you.” 

Isabeau and Sam laughed, Sam shook his head at his brother. 

***

They were back on the highway, Dean in his place in the driver’s seat, Sam in the passenger and Isabeau in the backseat, nursing her throbbing head. 

In front, Sam had John’s journal open to the page with coordinates, a map open in his lap and supporting a flashlight between his chin and shoulder. “Okay, here’s where dad went. It’s called Blackbottle Ridge, Colorado.” 

Dean nods. “Sounds charming. How far?” 

“About 600 miles.” 

“If we shag ass, we can make it by morning.” 

Sam looks up at Dean, hesitating. “Dean, um…” 

Dean glances at the road and then back. “You’re not going.” He stated. 

“The interview’s in like 10 hours. I got to be there.” 

Dean nods, disappointed that Sam wasn’t joining them for the ride to find John. “Yeah. Yeah, whatever. I’ll take you home.” 

They say nothing. Sam turns off his flashlight and jumps a little when he feels Isabeau’s hand on his shoulder. She squeezed it lightly before pulling away.

***

They pull up to Sam’s apartment, Dean still frowning as he stops and Sam gets out of the car. He leans over to look through the window. “Maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?” Sam suggested. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, all right.” Sam pats the door, looking to the back seat, him and Isabeau share one last smile and turns away. Isabeau bit her lip as Dean started up the engine. 

“Sam.” Dean calls out. Sam turns back around. “You know, the three of us, we made a hell of a team back there.” 

Sam nodded. “Yeah.” 

Isabeau sighed and leaned over to Dean and whispered. “Give me a few minutes.” Isabeau slid out of the car, shutting the door behind her and walked up to Sam. 

“Hey, about what happened earlier with Constance…” Isabeau sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets. “I’m sorry.” 

Sam chuckled looking down at the ground and back up at her. “It wasn’t your fault. She forced you on me. She only killed those who were unfaithful. She used you against me. Don’t blame yourself.” 

Isabeau shook her head. “I know I just… I feel like I could’ve done something, anything!” she sighed. 

Sam softly smiled, placing his hand on the crook over her neck, rubbing her skin softly with his thumb. The action was itself intimate, but that’s how the two were since childhood. Little intimate touches of comfort, that’s what they were to each other; comfort. 

“I know.” Sam paused. “Stop by? Jess has been dying to meet my best friend. I think you too will be two peas in a pod.” Isabeau felt her chest tighten with affection and underlining pain. But she nodded nonetheless. 

Sam then smirked. “I also miss having you around. So, whenever you’re done finding dad, please, come by.”

Isabeau snorted, gently taking Sam’s hand off of her and punching his arm lightly. “Never begged you for big sap. But for you Stretch, I will.” 

Sam and her embraced each other in one last hug, not knowing when they will see each other again. “Be happy.” Isabeau whispered into his ear, placing a light kiss on his cheek before pulling away and hoping into the passenger seat. 

Isabeau nodded at Dean, and the two drove off, leaving Sam behind for who knows how long. Once they were a good distance away and Sam was back in his apartment, Isabeau gestured to Dean to turn back around. He nodded. There was a pit in Isabeau’s stomach, she felt it the moment they pulled up to Sam’s apartment. Something bad was going to happen; really bad. 

Dean parked the car across the street, the second the engine turned off, Isabeau ran out of the car. She could see fire lighting up Sam’s apartment. “Dean!” The two ran at full speed to the door, Dean kicking down the front door. 

“Sam!” Dean called out. Isabeau pointed to where the fire was coming from. The two ran into the room, it was all in flames. Sam was laying down on the bed, shielding his face with his arms. Isabeau looked up, her covering her mouth in shock seeing Jess on the ceiling bleeding and burning alive. 

“Sam! Sam!” Dean looks to see Jess and runs over to Sam. 

“No! No!” Sam is screaming out as Dean grabs Sam off the bed and shoving him out the door, Sam is struggling against Dean with every step.”Jess!”

Isabeau pushes Dean and Sam out the door making sure they’re safe and running back inside the apartment and shutting the door behind her. She was going to try her best to save Jess.

“Isabeau!” 

“Beau! No!” 

Isabeau could hear the screams from Dean and Sam outside the apartment. She ran into the room where Jess was, her body still on the ceiling. “Jess!” She called out to her. She got no response. 

“Damn it!” Isabeau breathed in, her eyes turning a fiery orange, her arms spread out as the fire started to surround her entering her body. As more and more of the fire seeped into her skin, her actual being turned into a figure that was completely made of fire. 

“Jess!” Isabeau called out once more. Nothing. Anger, pain, frustration. That’s all she felt at that moment. She screamed, more and more of the flames becoming one with her, but she knew that it wasn’t enough. The fire wasn’t stopping no matter how much of it she was consuming. “I’m sorry.” She whispered out, her body returning back to normal and the flames no longer touched her. She ran out of the room and slammed open the apartment door, and ran to the car where Dean stood while Sam in his arms. “Beau!” 

Dean and Sam pulled her into a strong embrace and then pulled her away to look at her in the eyes. 

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” Dean shouted at her and Sam just looked at her with tears in his eyes. Sam lost Jess, he couldn’t lose Isabeau too. 

A lone tear fell down Isabeau’s face. “I thought I could stop it. But the fire, it kept on going.” She looked at Sam. “I’m sorry.” She whispered out. Sam said nothing but pulled her back into his arms, his arms tightening around her. 

“I’m sorry.” 

***

Isabeau watched from Sam’s side as police, fire trucks and onlookers surrounded the apartment. Sam hasn’t said much since Isabeau got out of the apartment, attempting to save Jess and put out the fire herself. 

Sam’s face was filled with anger as he cocks the rifle from the trunk. Dean walks over from the bystanders and shares a look with Sam. Sam nods, then sighs and tosses the gun back into the trunk. “We got work to do.” He slams the trunk down. 

Isabeau looks back at the apartment, her eyes glaring at the scene before her. She wasn’t coming home anytime soon. 


	6. Wendigo Pt.1

**_Previously on Supernatural…_ **

**_Sam’s face was filled with anger as he cocks the rifle from the trunk. Dean walks over from the bystanders and shares a look with Sam. Sam nods, then sighs and tosses the gun back into the trunk. “We got work to do.” He slams the trunk down._ **

**_Isabeau looks back at the apartment, her eyes glaring at the scene before her. She wasn’t coming home anytime soon._ **

* * *

Isabeau’s face scrunched up, her eyes opening slightly. The open road was in front of her, her surroundings passing by as Dean drove the impala. She was in the front seat of the car, in between Dean and Sam. Her head was laying on Dean’s shoulder, her cheek squished up against his leather jacket. 

She didn’t even remember falling asleep in the first place, but with not sleeping for a couple of days finally caught up to her and exhaustion knocked her ass out. “Good morning sleeping beauty.” Dean playfully said, his hand squeezing her thigh where it’s been since the moment she fell asleep. 

Isabeau didn’t answer, her mind a little foggy, and eyesight a little blurry. Why the boys insist on her sitting in the front between them, she didn’t know. She only guessed it was because Sam wanted some comfort after the loss of Jessica and Dean, well, Dean only asked her to sit in the front if he needed support. Though he would never admit it. 

She tried to move away from Dean’s shoulder but an opposing weight on her other side prevented her from doing so. She glanced over, blinking slowly seeing that Sam was passed out on her shoulder. He was also holding onto her right hand tightly. 

The corner of Isabeau’s lip curled up. She was brought back to a time when the three of them were younger. 

* * *

**_June 21st, 1987_ **

_“Come on, Sam! Dean!” Little newly turned 5-year-old Isabeau runs down the little hill in the backyard of her house. At the bottom of the hill was a small lake, it’s surface reflecting the crescent moon in the night sky._

_A 4-year-old Sam giggles as he locks hands with Isabeau, the girl dragging him down to the edge of the lake. The two were stuck to each other like glue. The minute that John stopped by to wish Isabeau a happy birthday and drop off his sons, Sam never left Isabeau’s side._

_8-year-old Dean was close by the two, watching them and joining them in their antics in the backyard. His mind is void of any thoughts of his dad hunting instead of staying and celebrating Isabeau’s birthday. Dean was enjoying what fun he had when he stayed over at Isabeau’s._

_“Easy you three!” Isabeau’s father, Bartholmieu called out with a smile on his face. He was carrying four glass mason jars with holes poked through their metal tops. Bartholmieu reached the lake where the three waited by, throwing rocks into the water, seeing who could throw their rock the farthest._

_Bartholmieu handed each one of them their own jar, leaving one for himself and gesturing the kids to open the jar. He crouches down to their height and points towards the field that surrounded the lake. “Now watch.”_

_After a few seconds, hundreds of little yellow lights glowed in the fields, flying up from the grass and into the night air. Isabeau smiled. Fireflies._

_“Whoever can catch the most fireflies gets an extra slice of cake!” Bartholmieu declares a competition before jogging off into the field, Isabeau, Sam and Dean running behind him, laughing and screaming in joy, each of them trying to catch the most fireflies._

* * *

Isabeau looked away from Sam and groaned, closing her eyes back up, and shifting slightly to lay her head comfortably on Dean’s shoulder. “How long have I been asleep?” Isabeau asked. 

“About an hour. Sammy passed out not long after you. You both needed sleep.” Dean said. Isabeau smiled, taking her free hand, sliding it into Dean’s hand that was resting on her thigh. She gave it a squeeze. “Thanks, Dearie.” 

Dean smiled, squeezing back. Isabeau hardly ever used that nickname for Dean, so when she did, Dean cherished it.

Sam suddenly jerks awake. Isabeau opens her eyes, lifting her head from Dean’s shoulder and looking at Sam, concerned. “Sam?”

Sam blinks, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. Dean glances over in concern. “You okay?” 

Sam glances over at Isabeau and Dean, squeezing Isabeau’s hand and then looking away. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Isabeau rubbed her thumb back and forth over Sam’s hand. Sam wasn’t getting much sleep either.

Dean nods. “Another nightmare?” He asks. 

Sam clears his throat, not answering Dean. Isabeau knew that it was another nightmare, he kept on having them ever since Jess died and refused to fall asleep because of them. Isabeau took it upon herself to conduct aromatherapy on Sam, and in doing so led to many nights that she didn’t sleep because she was helping Sam. 

“You want to drive for a while?” Dean asks. Isabeau glanced over at Dean. He barely let’s Isabeau drive, much less Sam. 

Sam laughs. “In your whole life, you never once asked me that.” 

“Just thought you might want to. Never mind.” Dean brushed off the offer. 

“Look, man, you’re worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I’m perfectly okay.” Sam says. 

“Mm-hmm. Thank Isabeau for that. She lost sleep helping you.” Dean countered. Isabeau slipped her hand out of both Dean’s and Sam’s hands, lightly slapping Dean’s shoulder. 

“Hey! If I lose sleep to help Sam, then I lose fucking sleep. He’s human, you’re human, I’m not. I can go a couple days without it.” Isabeau huffed out. She turned toward Sam who was staring at her with his puppy dog eyes. 

“You still need sleep, Isabeau.” Sam said softly. 

Isabeau groaned. “No puppy dog eyes. I’m weak for those. Besides, it gave me a chance to work on my aromatherapy. Haven’t done it in a long time.” 

Sam nodded, looking away and grabbing a map that was sitting on the dashboard. “All right,” He clears his throat. “Where are we?” 

“We are just outside of Grand Junction.” Dean answered. 

Sam folds the map of Colorado and has a large red ‘X’ labeled ‘35-111’. He sighs, “You know what? Maybe we shouldn’t have left Stanford so soon.” 

“Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you want to find the thing that killed Jessica…” Dean said. 

“We got to find dad first.” Sam finished. 

“Dad disappearing… And this thing showing up again after 20 years?” 

“It’s no coincidence.” Isabeau stated. Isabeau looked toward the road. None of this was settling right with her at all. The fire at Sam and Jess’s apartment, she couldn’t stop it, it kept on going. It reminded her of her own fire, never ending, nothing being able to put it out. Whatever this thing is, deep down, Isabeau was terrified to know. 

“Dad will have the answers. He’ll know what to do.” Dean said. 

“It’s weird, man. These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge…” Sam said, looking down at the map. 

Dean glanced over the map. “What about it?”

“There’s nothing there. It’s just woods.” Sam answers. Isabeau puts out her hand, and Sam hands her the map. “Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?” 

The three glance at each other, not knowing why they were going into the middle of the woods. Isabeau sighed, looking back at the road, the car driving by a sign that says, ‘Welcome to Lost Creek Colorado National Forest.’ 

Isabeau smirked to herself. Fire might have been her element, but she had a strong connection with nature. This could work in her favor. 

* * *

The three wind up at the “Ranger Station Lost Creek Trail, Lost Creek National Forest.” 

“So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote.” Sam says as he looks over a 3D map of the national forest, paying attention to the ridge labeled ‘Blackwater Ridge’. Isabeau was flipping through some plant identification books that were focused toward the area while Dean looked at the decorations. 

“It’s cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place…” Sam explained further. 

“Dude, check out the size of this friggin’ bear.” Sam looks over. Dean was looking at a framed photo of a man standing behind a much larger bear. Isabeau looks up with a scowl as Sam stands next to Dean. 

“...And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It’s no nature hike, that’s for sure.” Sam says. Isabeau sets down her book and walks up to them, still frowning at the photo. “Horrible.” She whispers under her breath. 

Dean looks down at her, his brow furrowed. Before he could ask, a ranger walks up behind them. “You boys and girl aren’t planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge, by any chance?” The three whip around to look at the ranger. 

“Oh, no, sir. We’re environmental-study majors from U.C. Boulder, just working on a paper.” Sam laughs a little as Dean raises a fist. “Recycle, man.” 

“Bull.” The ranger says. 

Sam’s eyes flick over to Dean and Isabeau. Dean doesn’t move and Isabeau’s hand reaches down to play with her rosary. 

“You’re friends with that Haley girl, right?” He asks. 

Isabeau tilts her hand and considers it for a moment. “Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger…” Her eyes flicker down to his tag and gives a soft smile. “Wilkinson.” 

“Well, I will tell you exactly what I told her. Her brother filled out a back-country permit saying he wouldn’t be back from Blackwater until the 24th. So it’s not exactly a missing persons now, is it?” Ranger Wilkinson explained. 

Dean shook his head. 

“Tell that girl to quit worrying. I’m sure her brother’s just fine.” Wilkinson said. 

“We will.” Isabeau answered. 

“Well, that Haley girl’s quite a pistol, huh?” Dean said with a smile. Isabeau rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. Sam noticed Isabeau’s actions and squinted his eyes at her. 

“That is putting it mildly.” Wilkinson responds. 

“Actually, you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that back-country permit. You know, so she could see her brother’s return date.” Dean asks. 

Ranger Wilkinson eyes Dean and Dean raises his eyebrows. 

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau leave the ranger station. Dean is holding a piece of paper and laughing. “Yeah.” He folds up the paper.

“What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?” Sam asks. 

“What do you mean?” Dean asks. 

Isabeau sighs. “The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge.” She said trying to get Dean’s mind off of a girl on back on the hunt. 

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s just go find dad.” Sam finishes for Isabeau. “I mean, why even talk to this girl?” 

Sam walks over to the passenger side of the impala, while Dean is on the drivers side and Isabeau is next to Sam, ready to get in the backseat. 

“I don’t know, maybe we should know what we’re walking into before we actually walk into it?” Dean suggested. 

Dean pauses, and looks at his brother. “What?” Sam slightly spreads his arms out. 

“Since when are you all “shoot first, ask questions later”, anyway?” Dean asks. 

“Since now.” Sam turns away and slides into the passenger seat. 

Dean smiles. “Oh, really?” He looks at Isabeau. She raises her hands up in defense, “I just want to get this hunt done and over with.” Isabeau leaves the conversation as that and hops into the backseat. 

* * *

Dean knocks on the front door of the Collins house. A woman, presumably, Haley Collins, opens the door. 

“You must be Haley Collins. I’m Dean, This is Sam and Isabeau. We’re rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. We wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy.” Dean explained to Haley. 

Haley hesitates. “Let me see some I.D.” 

Isabeau smiles lightly, pulling out a fake ID with the name ‘Samantha Cole’ and holds it up against the screen door. “There you go.” 

Haley looks at the ID and then at Isabeau,who still has a smile on her face. Isabeau puts it away as Haley opens the door. “Come on in.” 

“Thanks.” Dean says. But before they could walk in, Haley notices the impala and looks at Isabeau. “That yours?” 

Isabeau’s smile slightly falters at Haley’s sudden eye contact but she can’t help but chuckle. Sam looks at the impala as Dean stares in confusion at the two girls. 

“No, it’s his.” Isabeau jabs her thumb at Dean. 

Haley smiles at Isabeau, glancing at Dean then back to her. “Too bad, nice car.” Haley turns to lead the three inside while Isabeau turns her head mouthing, ‘Oh my god’, to Sam and Dean before heading in after Haley. Dean’s jaw is slightly clenched while Sam rolls his eyes. Both brothers weren’t happy about the interaction between Isabeau and Haley. Not one bit. 

Isabeau didn’t notice the brothers' reactions. Besides, if Dean wanted to shamelessly flirt with women, what’s wrong with her doing it when the women flirt with her first? 

They walked into the kitchen, Sam taking the lead for asking questions. “So, if Tommy’s not due back for a while, how do you know something’s wrong?” 

Haley comes back into the room with a bowl and places it on the table. “He checks in every day by cell. He emails photos, stupid little videos, but we haven’t heard anything in over three days now.” 

“Well, maybe he can’t get cell reception.” Sam suggested. 

Haley shook her head. “He’s got a satellite phone, too.” 

“Could it be he’s just having fun and forgot to check in?” Dean asked. 

The boy, Ben, who was sitting at the table interjected. “He wouldn’t do that.” 

Dean eyes Ben and Ben looks away as Haley puts more food on the table. “Our parents are gone. It’s just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other.” Isabeau nodded, understanding. 

“Can I see the pictures he sent you?” Sam asks. 

Haley nods her head. “Yeah.” Haley grabs a laptop and sets it on the table, pulling up pictures. “That’s Tommy.” She clicks through photos and stops on a still frame of the beginning of a video. “This is his last message.” 

She starts the video of Tom. “Hey, Haley. Day six. We’re still out near Blackwater Ridge. We’re fine, keeping safe, so don’t worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow.” Sam tilts his head as he spots a shadow flicking past and the video ends. 

“Well, we'll find your brother. We’re heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing.” Dean says to Haley. 

“Then maybe I’ll see you there.” Haley says walking away. The three share a look. “Look, I can’t sit around here anymore, si I hired a guide. I’m heading out in the morning, and I’m gonna find Tommy myself.” 

“I think I know how you feel.” Dean said. Isabeau discreetly hooked her pinky around Dean’s own finger. Dean looked over to Isabeau and she said nothing. It was her reaching out to Dean saying that she was there for him. She was going to help him no matter what. 

Isabeau glanced back over to Haley who stared straight back at her. “Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?” Sam asks, breaking their gaze. 

“Sure.” Haley answers.

* * *

Isabeau heard someone breaking a game of pool in the distance, and rock music blasting in the bar as they sat down at a table, Isabeau in her usual spot between the two brothers. 

“So, Blackwater Ridge doesn’t get a lot of traffic. Local campers mostly, but,still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found.” Sam pulls out newspaper articles. 

“Any before that?” Dean asks. 

“Yeah. In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And, again, in 1959, and again, before that, in 1936.” Isabeau pulls out Sam’s laptop from his bag and hands it to him. Sam nods at her and opens it up to Tommy’s video. 

“Every 23 years, just like clockwork. Okay, watch this.” Sam turns the laptop towards Dean and Isabeau. “Here’s the clincher. I downloaded that guy Tommy’s video to the laptop. Check this out.” 

Sam pulls up the video and goes through the frames of the video one at a time. A shadow crosses over the screen. 

Isabeau furrows her brow. Dean notices it too. “Do it again.” 

Sam repeats the frames. “That’s three frames, it’s a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move.” 

Dean reaches over Isabeau to hit Sam’s arm triumphantly. “I told you something weird was going on.” 

“Yeah.” Sam closes his laptop. “I got one more thing.” Sam hands Isabeau another newspaper article. “In ‘59, one camper survived the supposed grizzly attack, just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive.” 

“Is there a name?” Dean asks. 

* * *

Mr. Shaw talks to Sam, Dean and Isabeau with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he leads them inside of his house. “Look, ranger, I don’t know why you’re asking me about this. It’s public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a-” 

“Grizzly?” Sam interrupts. “That’s what attacked them?.” 

Mr. Shaw takes a puff of his cigarette, takes it out and nods. 

“The other people that went missing that year, those bear attacks, too?” Dean steps forward. Mr. Shaw doesn’t answer. 

“What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?” Still nothing. 

Isabeau sighed, stepping up next to Dean. “Mr. Shaw, please. If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it.” 

Mr. Shaw pulled his cigarette away. “I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don’t see what difference it would make.” Mr. Shaw sits down. “You wouldn’t believe me. Nobody ever did.” 

“Mr. Shaw…” Sam comes to sit down across from Mr. Shaw. “...What did you see?” 

Mr. Shaw sighs. “Nothing. It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it, though. A roar… like no man or animal I ever heard.” 

“It came at night?” Sam asks. 

Mr. Shaw nodded.

“Got inside your tent?” 

“It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn’t smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it.” The three glanced away when they heard that. “Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn’t even wake up until I heard my parents screaming.” 

“It killed them?” Sam asks. 

“Dragged them off into the night.” Mr.Shaw shakes his head. “Why it left me alive… I’ve been asking myself that ever since.” 

Mr.Shaw pauses and his hand goes to his collar. “It did leave me this, though.” He pushes away his collar to reveal three long scars, they were claw marks. Isabeau’s hand flies up to her mouth in surprise at the scars. Suddenly, flashes of shadows casting on cabin walls flickered in her vision, screams of a man and woman fills her ears. They left as soon as they came and Isabeau winced at the slight headache it gave her. Sam glanced over to Isabeau, seeing that her hand migrated to one of her temples and was massaging it. 

“There’s something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon.” 

* * *

The brothers and Isabeau walked down the corridor of the motel. “Spirits and demons don’t have to unlock doors. If they want inside, they just go through the walls.” 

“So it’s probably something else, something corporeal.” Sam suggested. 

“Corporeal? Excuse me, professor.” Dean mocks Sam’s choice of words. 

“Shut up. So, what do you think?” Sam asks the two of them. 

Isabeau shrugs, whatever she saw at Mr. Shaw's wasn't enough to get a good look at whatever it was. “The claws, the speed that it moves… it could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog, hell, maybe even a wendigo.” 

“Whatever we’re talking about, we’re talking about a creature, and it’s corporeal, which means we can kill it.” Dean turns to Isabeau. “What the hell happened in there?” 

Sam looks at Isabeau, wanting an explanation as well about what happened at Mr. Shaw’s. Isabeau sighed. “I don’t know. Looks like my ability to look into the past just doesn’t have to be activated by touch. Now it’s just seeing things and then flashes. Whatever happened it gave me a fucking headache.” 

Both brothers nodded. “Also, that comment back at the ranger station?” 

Isabeau raised a brow at Dean. He rolled his eyes. “About the bear?” 

Isabeau nodded. “Ah, well Dad taught me the idea of the ‘Wiccan Rede’. Even though we are, technically speaking, witches, Dad taught us to ‘harm none, and do what ye will’. Meaning basically hurting no living thing and we can do whatever magic we want. Though there were exceptions of course with hunting. But I’m against hurting any animals of any kind.” 

Isabeau shakes her head. “It’s just cruel.” She walks ahead of them. The brothers stared after her. 

“You knew that?” Dean asked Sam. 

Sam chuckled and gave a sad smile to Dean. “No offense Dean, but we don’t know a lot about Isabeau’s ways of being a witch. Yeah, she’s a fire elemental and makes fire do whatever the hell she wants, but all we know is the little things; her aromatherapy, simple tracking spells, her ability to move objects and now this.” 

Both of them remained silent at the realization that outside of Isabeau using her powers for hunting, they didn’t really know about her craft. “I guess we better ask when this is over?” 

Sam nodded at Dean’s suggestion. “We may be her best friends Dean and grew up with her, but there’s a whole nother side to her that we might not know.” 

* * *

Dean opens the trunk of the impala, then the weapons box and props it open with a shotgun like usual. He starts putting some guns in a duffel bag. Both Isabeau and Sam lean in on either side of him. 

“We cannot let that Haley girl go out there.” Sam says. 

“Oh yeah, what are gonna tell her? That she can’t go into the woods because of a big scary monster?” Dean asks. 

Sam nods. “Yeah.” 

Isabeau looks over to Sam. “Her brother’s missing, Sam. She’s not just gonna sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend.” Isabeau grabs one of her knives in the trunk and puts it in the duffel bag. 

Dean points a finger at her and nods at her words, picking up the duffel bag. 

“So finding Dad’s not enough?” Sam asks. Sam angrily slams the weapons box shut, then the trunk. “Now we got to babysit, too?” 

Dean says nothing but stares at Sam. “What?” 

Dean juts his head. “Nothing.” He throws the duffel bag at Sam and walks off. Sam stares after him and then turns back to Isabeau. 

“Isabeau…” Sam starts. 

Isabeau fists clench. “Sam, I don’t exactly like her coming either. But I know that you, Dean or myself can stop her from going tomorrow. Hell, if I were in her shoes and it was my three little brothers, I’d probably raise hell and get rid of anyone who came in my way.” 

Isabeau sighed, stepping forward and placed a hand on his chest. “It’d be the same if you two went missing on me.” She patted his chest and walked after Dean. 

Sam watched her walk away. Isabeau would do anything to keep the people she loved safe. Sam could never be mad at her for that. Never. 

* * *

Isabeau leaned forward from the back seat as the impala pulled up to Ben, Haley and another man along the trail. Dean stops the car and the three of them get out, closing the doors shut. 

“You guys got room for three more?” Dean asks. 

“Wait, you want to come with us?” Haley asks. Isabeau hands Sam the duffel bag and the three walk up to Haley. 

“Who are these guys?” The man behind Haley asks. 

Haley turns back. “Apparently, this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue.” 

Sam takes Isabeau’s hand and the two head past everyone. “You rangers?” The man asks. 

“That’s right.” Dean nods. 

“And you’re hiking out in biker boots and jeans?” Haley places her hands on her hips, giving Dean a look. 

Dean looks down at himself. “Well, sweetheart, I don’t do shorts.” Isabeau snorts at that comment and her and Sam turn back. Dean walks past Haley and towards the two. 

“Oh, you think this is funny? It’s dangerous back-country out there. Her brother might be hurt.” The man said. 

“Believe me, I know how dangerous it can be. We just want to help them find their brother. That’s all.” Dean responds. He heads past Sam and Isabeau. 

* * *

The group hikes through the forest, the man who they found out who’s name was Roy, leading them. Dean, Haley, Bean, Sam and Isabeau bringing up the rear. Sam and Isabeau still held hands, Isabeau was looking around, her eyes scanning every tree, plant, basically anything living. 

Despite that they were on a search party, Isabeau was smiling at the world around her. The forest reminded her of the one back home that she would spend countless hours exploring. In a way, she felt at peace. Sam stole a few glances at Isabeau, he smiled a little seeing how happy she was. 

“Roy, you said you did a little hunting.” Dean asks ahead. 

“Yeah, more than a little.” Roy stated. 

“Uh-huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?” 

“Mostly buck. Sometimes bear.” Roy answered. Isabeau grimaced at his answer. 

Dean slightly passes Roy. “Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?” 

Roy abruptly grabs Dean and pulls him back. Sam and Isabeau look on. “What are you doing, Roy?” Isabeau tightly asked. 

Roy grabs a stick and pokes a bear trap that Dean had almost stepped in. Roy looks at Dean with a smug smirk. “You should watch where you’re stepping… Ranger.” Roy drops the stick and retakes the lead. 

Dean purses his lips and chuckles to Sam and Isabeau. “It’s a bear trap.” Isabeau rolls her eyes, slightly annoyed and amused at what happened. Haley and Ben walk behind Dean and Sam and Isabeau take their place back at the end. 

“You didn’t pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You’re not rangers.” Haley reaches out and grabs Dean’s arm. “So who the hell are you?”

Ben goes past Haley and Dean. The two brothers share a look, Dean indicates that Sam’s good to go on by. Isabeau hesitates, looking at Dean. He nods to her as Sam drags Isabeau past the two. Dean watches them go for a moment. 

Dean exhales sharply. “Sam and I are brothers, Isabeau is a friend, and we’re looking for our father. He might be here. We don’t know. I just figured that you and me, we’re in the same boat.” 

“Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?” Haley asks. 

“I’m telling you now. Besides, it’s probably the most honest I’ve ever been with a woman… that wasn’t Isabeau. So we okay?” Dean says. 

Haley pauses. “Yeah, okay.” 

“And what do you mean I didn’t pack provisions?” Dean asks. He turns over to Isabeau’s direction, she wasn’t too far up ahead. She let Sam go ahead as she waited for Dean. “Hey Beau!” 

Isabeau turns toward him as he strides up to her. “Got my provisions?” Isabeau rolls her eyes as she pulls out a heavy bag of peanut m&m’s from her jacket pocket. “You mean our provisions. I bought these, moron.” 

Dean glares at her reaching into the bag and popping a few in his mouth. Isabeau jerked the bag away from him, smiling as she took a few herself. Haley waits a moment, watching the two bicker over the m&m’s, playfully pushing each other, fighting over the bag. She shook her head, following the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me forever to get to the second episode. Things have been crazy, college midterms, packing all my stuff from my dorm because my college is closed for the next three weeks, and also getting prepared for my sophomore illustration review. But hey! No classes or work for two weeks and that means writing this bad boy. Hopefully part two will be up by tonight and I can start on episode three as well. I really hope you guys are enjoying this and please tell me what you think. 


	7. Wendigo Pt.2

Roy leads the way through the forest, followed by Sam, Ben, Haley, Isabeau and Dean. Roy stops, "This is it. Blackwater Ridge."

Sam heads past Roy. "What coordinates are we at?"

Roy pulls out a GPS, which reads N35° 45.383, W111° 00.55. "Thirty-five and minus one-eleven."

Isabeau and Dean come up to Sam. The three look out into the forest and listen. "You hear that?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, not even crickets." Sam answered.

Isabeau's eyes danced around the scenery. "Everything is quiet. It should never be like this." Isabeau whispered to Sam and Dean. An uneasy feeling pooled in her stomach.

"I'm gonna look around." Roy states, putting the GPS back where he got it from. The brothers and Isabeau turned to him.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself." Sam says.

Roy chuckles, "That's sweet. Don't worry about me." Roy pushes between Dean and Isabeau, causing Isabeau to stumble back slightly. Isabeau shakes her head following after him and waving toward the brothers to follow her.

Dean turns back to the others. "All right, everybody stays together. Let's go."

* * *

Isabeau stops just at a large rock, the others behind her and looking around to where Roy headed off too.

"Haley! Over here!" Roy calls out. Haley runs towards Roy's voice, followed closely by everyone else. Suddenly they come to a halt.

"Oh my god." Haley breaths out. The tents before them were torn open and bloody and all the supplies were scattered.

"Looks like a grizzly." Roy claims from what's left of the campsite. Isabeau takes a look around along with Dean and Haley. Isabeau's hands ghosting over the torn tent, not wanting to completely touch it yet.

"Tommy?" Haley takes off her backpack and goes through the campsite. "Tommy!"

Sam drops the duffel bag and quickly moves to catch up to Haley. "Shh."

"Tommy!" Haley calls out again.

"Shh-hh-hh!" Sam tries to hush her once again.

Haley glances at Sam. "Why?"

"Something might still be out there."

"Sam! Isabeau!" Dean calls out. Sam and Isabeau go over to Dean. Sam crouches down next to his brother while Isabeau stands behind the two. "The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here, the tracks just vanish. It's weird."

Both brothers stand up, "I'll tell you what…" Dean says as the three look at each other. "That's no skinwalker or black dog."

Dean heads back to the camp and Sam and Isabeau follow, but not without taking one last glance at the tracks. Once they get back to the campsite, Isabeau sees Haley pick up a bloody cell phone, she could see tears going down Haley's face.

Isabeau frowns a little and goes to crouch right next to her. She places a comforting hand on Haley's shoulder. "Hey, he could still be alive." She says softly.

Haley gives Isabeau a look. Isabeau sighs, knowing that no matter what she said wouldn't make Haley feel any better.

"Help!" Isabeau whips her head around to the direction of the man's voice. She immediately springs to her feet, Roy close behind and everyone else following. "Help!"

Isabeau skidded to a stop next to a tree when they reached the spot where the voice was coming from. But instead of finding someone who needed help, they found no one.

"It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?" Haley asks. Isabeau listens to the forest around her and turns to the tree she stopped next to. She lifts her hand shakily and closes her eyes as her hand comes in contact with the bark.

'Leave… leave.' 'Run away.' A bunch of voices spoke to her. The trees, nature around her was telling her to go. Isabeau's eyes opened and she stepped away from the tree, grabbing Sam's arm. "Everybody back to camp." Isabeau declared.

They all head back to camp but when they get back, all of the supplies are missing. "Our packs!" Haley exclaims.

"So much for my GPS and my satellite phone." Roy says annoyed.

"What the hell's going on?" Haley asks.

"It's smart. It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help." Sam explains.

"You mean someone, some nut job out there just stole our gear." Roy argues.

Isabeau walks up to Sam and Dean. "I need to speak with you two. In private." Isabeau walks a little away from the group, Sam and Dean following behind her.

Isabeau stopped a good distance away from the group and turned toward the brothers. "Okay, let me see John's journal." Dean pulls it out of his jacket and hands it over to Isabeau. Sam leans over Isabeau's shoulder as she flips through until she finds a particular page.

"All right, check that out." Isabeau points to the picture on the page.

"Oh come on. Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never heard of one this far west." Dean tries to deny Isabeau's theory.

Sam takes the journal from her hands, backing Isabeau up. "Think about it, Dean, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice."

"Dean, the visions of the past I was seeing, this isn't a skinwalker or a black dog. It's gotta be a wendigo." Isabeau tries to convince Dean.

He looks at her for a moment. "Positive?"

Isabeau nodded. "A hundred percent."

"Great." Dean takes out his pistol. "Then this is useless."

Isabeau chuckles and lifts up her hand, it lit up in flames. "This isn't." She twists her hand and the fire goes away, her hand and the rings that adorned it, undamaged.

The two chuckled. "Wait for the fire power later, hotshot." Dean says as Sam gives back John's journal and heads past Dean, stopping for a moment.

"We got to get these people to safety."

Isabeau entwined her fingers with Dean's and pulled him along back to the campsite.

"All right, listen up. It's time to go. Things have gotten... more complicated." Sam addresses the group.

"What?" Haley demands.

"Kid, don't worry. Whatever's out there, I think I can handle it." Roy says.

"It's not me I'm worried about. If you shoot this thing, you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave. Now." Sam states.

"One, you're talking nonsense, two, you're in no position to give anybody orders." Roy exclaims.

Isabeau lets go of Dean's hand, stepping forward, just in case she needs to get involved.

"Relax." Dean calls out.

"We never should have let you come out in the first place, all right? I'm trying to protect you." Sam declared.

"You protect me?" Roy steps into Sam's space, getting close to his face. "I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you good night."

Isabeau's eye twitched and stepped in between the two, glaring up at Roy. "Yeah?" She growled out. "It's a damn-near-perfect hunter. It's smarter than you. And it's going to hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry little ass out of here." Isabeau smirked. "You get me?"

Roy laughs in Isabeau's face, her glare and smirk never faltering. "You know you're crazy, right?"

Sam steps forward, his chest brushing up against Isabeau's back. "Yeah? You ever hunt a wen-" Before Sam could shout out what they were hunting, Dean interfered, pushing back Sam and Isabeau. "Chill out."

"Stop. Stop it. Everybody just stop." Everyone was now looking at Haley. "Look. Tommy might still be alive. And I'm not leaving here without him."

Nobody said anything, the air was too tense. Isabeau's fist clenched in anger when her gaze drifted over to Roy, she wanted to punch him square in the face but her own morals were preventing her from doing so. Sam placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them to calm her down.

"It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves."

"How?"

* * *

The day passed, the group built a campfire, Ben and Haley sitting on one side of the fire and Sam and Isabeau on the edge of the campsite as Dean drew symbols in the dirt. Isabeau stares into the forest, playing with her rosary, her mind is who knows where.

Sam glanced at Isabeau's hands, he knew she only played with the rosary when she was nervous, it was a way to distract her from her anxieties. He hesitated to reach his hand out, though he didn't know why. They never need to second guess themselves when it comes to physical contact.

Isabeau snorted, grabbing Sam's hovering hand, intertwining them together. "Just fucking hold my hand, Stretch." The two looked at each other and Isabeau gave him a soft smile. "I'm fine." Sam smiled back, his dimples slightly showing.

"How about you? Looks like you were going to rip Roy a new one." Isabeau chuckles.

Sam exhales. "It's nothing." Isabeau raised a brow at him. Sam rolled his eyes with a smile, gaze landing on their hands and went to play with the rosary around her wrist. "What about you? Coming in between Roy and I? I was surprised your hair didn't burst into flames."

Isabeau laughed. She could count the handful of times that her anger got the best of her and would unconsciously turn her hair into actual flames. "He got in your face. Didn't like it, plain and simple." Isabeau twisted her lips, not looking at Sam anymore.

Dean heads over and taps Isabeau's shoulder. She looks up and Dean juts his head towards the fire. "Make sure that keeps lit?" Isabeau let out a short laugh, knowing that Dean wanted some alone talk with his brother. "Yeah."

Isabeau squeezes Sam's hand and let's go, she pats Dean's shoulder and walks over towards the fire, crouching down in front of it.

Dean sits down next to Sam. "You wanna tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?"

"Dean-"

"No you're not fine. You're like a powder keg, man. It's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?" Dean says gazing at Sam, waiting for an explanation.

Sam pauses, not looking at Dean. "Dad's not here. I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?"

Dean nods. "Yeah, you're probably right. To tell you the truth, I don't think dad's ever been to Lost Creek."

They turn to each other. "Then let's get these people back to town, and let's hit the road… Go find dad. I mean, why are we still even here?" Sam sighed in frustration.

Dean gets up and crouches down in front of Sam, holding up their father's journal. He pats the front of the journal, "This is why… This book." He taps it with his finger. "This is dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it onto us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things… the family business."

Sam shook his head and bit his lip. "That makes no sense." Sam rubbed his face with his hands. "Why… Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?"

"I don't know. But the way I see it, dad's given us a job to do, and I intend to do it." Dean responded.

"Dean...no. I gotta find dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer." Sam's jaw ticked. "It's the only thing I can think about."

"Okay, alright. Sam, we'll find them. I promise. Listen to me. You've got to prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while. And all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long haul. It's gonna kill you. You got to have patience, man."

Sam shakes his head, looking down and then looking back up. "How do you do it?" He chuckles. "How does dad do it? How does…" Sam turned to Isabeau, who was too focused on the fire to hear their conversation. "How does Isabeau do it?"

"Well for one, them." Dean looks at Haley and Ben. "I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. It makes things a little bit more bearable. "

The brothers gaze then went to Isabeau, a smile graced both of their faces. "And Isabeau… Well, you know Isabeau. She'd risk her life if it meant helping a few people. Plus, she's got her parents, her brothers… She does it to protect her family."

Dean paused, "Hell, I think she does it to protect us sometimes. Even though we aren't like her, Sammy, she'd kill her own kind if it meant we, her family and everyone else got to live another day."

Dean pursed his lips. "And I'll tell you what else helps…"

Sam looks back at Dean.

"Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can." Sam smiles.

"Help me!" A twig snaps and a voice screams out; the wendigo. Isabeau stands up, Dean and Sam walk over, Dean with his gun out and Sam turning on his flashlight. Dean cocks his gun.

"Help!" The wendigo screams out again.

"It's trying to draw us out. Just stay cool. Stay put." Dean stated.

"Inside the magic circle?" Roy mocks Dean. Isabeau glares over at Roy, but whips around when the wendigo calls out.

"Help! Help me!" Growling echoed throughout the campsite.

Roy points his gun towards the sound. "Okay, that's no grizzly."

"It's okay. We'll be alright. I promise." Haley tries her best to comfort her brother, sitting back down where they once were.

At that moment, something rushes past with a growl, causing Haley to shriek.

Isabeau could hear the nature around her, telling her to run, "It's here." She told the group, the voices becoming louder, laced in fear.

It rushes past again, and Roy shoots at the rustling as it moves. It cries out once Roy successfully hits it.

"I hit it!" Roy cries out, running beyond the campsite to see what he hit.

"Roy, no! Roy!" Dean yells to Roy and turns to Haley and Ben, pointing a finger at them. "Don't move."

Haley pulls Ben toward her, she's now holding a stick with fire burning on the end as a weapon and Dean, Sam and Isabeau run after Roy.

"It's over here! It's in the tree!" Isabeau heard Roy call out to them.

The three stop where they last heard Roy. They all looked around to see where he went, but he completely disappeared.

Isabeau swatted the boy's arms. "Let's head back to camp. Now!"

* * *

"How'd you know?"

Isabeau glanced over at Sam. Both of them were leaning against a hollow tree stump. Sam was holding John's journal and playing with the lanyard attached to it.

Isabeau blinked. "Know what?"

"That it was trying to trick us when we first got to the campsite." Sam scooted closer to her, leaning over. "When you touched that tree… you rushed everyone back to camp."

Isabeau turned to Sam, her back no longer against the stump. She took Sam's hand and placed it gently on the side of the stump, her hand on top of his. "It told me." She smiled at Sam's confusion. "I can listen to nature, talk to it, and feel it's emotions. They were scared. It told me to run away, to leave."

In that moment, Sam saw Isabeau in a new light. Witchcraft was nothing new to Sam, he experienced her spells first hand when they hunted together and when they didn't. When they weren't on hunts, he'd seen her work in her home; usually using her magic in the kitchen or even helped her catalog herbs and set up for the holidays. Though in his eyes, this was new. He never realized just how connected she was to nature.

"Do witches normally have that ability? Does your dad have it?" Sam asked.

Isabeau shook her head. "No, dad can't do it. Every witch I've met can't communicate with nature."

Sam just stared at Isabeau. Isabeau laughed nervously. "What?"

Sam smiled, letting out a small laugh. "You changed."

Isabeau smirked, putting Sam's hand back and standing up. "I'm not the only one. Two years is a long time, Stretch."

She offered up her hand to him. "Come on, I want to fry this wendigo to a crisp." Sam grabbed her hand, Isabeau pulling him up to stand and the two headed back to the others.

As Sam and Isabeau come back to camp, Haley stands up at the sight of the two. "Hey. So, we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one… want to kill this evil son of a bitch." Sam says.

"Well, hell. You know I'm in." Dean smiles at Sam's words.

* * *

"Wendigo is a Cree Indian word. It means, 'evil that devours'." Sam explains as he shows a page of John's journal to Haley and Ben.

"They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man sometimes an Indian or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter." Dean says as he walks by Haley and Ben.

"How's a man turn into one of those things?" Haley asks.

"Well, it's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp." Dean continues.

"Like the Donner party." Ben makes a connection.

"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities; speed, strength, immortality." Sam adds in.

Isabeau sighed, "If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less-than-human thing. You're always hungry." Isabeau shuddered at the thought.

"So, if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" Haley asks.

Dean glances at Sam, then back to Haley. "You're not gonna like it."

"Tell me."

"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time. When it's awake, it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, it stores them so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. And we got to track it back there." Dean told Haley and Ben.

"And then how do we stop it?" Haley questions.

Dean chuckles, "Well, guns are useless, so are knives. Basically…"

Dean holds up a can of lighter fluid, a beer bottle and a white cloth that he picked up around the camp. "We gotta torch the sucker." He winked at Isabeau.

Isabeau gave him a half smile, her fire was a back up plan. She was fine with that, as long as the wendigo burned, she didn't care how it was done.

* * *

Dean leads the way through the woods, Molotov cocktail in hand. Haley follows behind him, Ben, Sam and Isabeau bringing up the rear. They pass trees with claws marks and blood.

As time passes, the sun starts to go down. They were losing daylight. Sam and Isabeau are now ahead of the group. "Dean." Sam calls Dean over.

Dean catches up with them. "What is it?"

Sam, Isabeau and Dean look around at the trees. There's bloody claws marks and broken branches everywhere. Isabeau places her hand on one of the trees as Sam comes to the other side of Dean.

"You know, I was thinking that those claw prints, so clear and distinct... " He chuckles. "They were almost too easy to follow." He turns to Isabeau, who has her eyes closed, her brow furrowed. "Beau?"

Isabeau's eyes open and looks at Sam and Dean. Her eyes were wide with fear. Before Isabeau could tell them what she heard, a growling noise made everyone whip around. Isabeau stepped away from the tree and stuck close to the brothers.

As Haley steps under a tree, blood drips down onto her shirt. She notices and looks up, screaming as she jumps out of the way, Roy's corpse landing where she stood.

Isabeau goes over to Haley as Sam and Dean examine Roy. "You okay?"

"His neck's broken." Dean proclaims.

Isabeau helps Haley up and more growling surrounds them. "Okay, run, run! Go, go, go, go, go!" Dean shouts at all of them. Everyone takes off.

Isabeau looks back making sure that everyone one was keeping up, but stops when she sees Ben fall. She hurries back to help him up, dividing the group into two and three. "Come on, I gotcha, I gotcha."

Isabeau and Ben run, trying to catch up with the others. Haley's scream echoes throughout the woods. Isabeau picks up her pace and so does Ben. "Haley!" Ben calls out.

The two stop running, Isabeau leans down and picks up Dean's Molotov cocktail; it's broken. Isabeau could feel her heart stop. "Sam! Dean!"

It took Haley and it took Sam and Dean. Isabeau slams the bottle against a tree. She was going to burn this wendigo to ashes.

* * *

"If it keeps its victims alive, why would it kill Roy?" Ben asked Isabeau.

"Honestly?" Isabeau brushes her hands over any piece of nature they come across, hoping they saw where the wendigo took them, but they were all too scared to look. So they were of no help. "I think because Roy shot at it, he pissed it off."

Ben crouches down, finding a trail of peanut m&m's and picks one up. "They went this way." Isabeau walks up to Ben, who hands her the m&m.

Isabeau laughs, "Dean, you sly dog. It's better than breadcrumbs." She was happy that she handed over their stash of m&m's to him last night. Isabeau tosses the m&m behind her and chuckles.

Isabeau and Ben follow the trail. They come up to a mine entrance marked with a sign that says 'Warning! Danger! Do Not Enter Extremely Toxic Material.' Isabeau looks at Ben and shrugs, going inside with Ben following.

Isabeau shines her small spare flashlight ahead of them. They go deeper but stop when they hear growling. Isabeau quickly shuts her light off and pulls Ben against the wall. They lean over, seeing the outline of the wendigo walking towards them. Ben inhales, ready to scream, but Isabeau clamps her hand over Ben's mouth, shushing him and shakes her head.

The wendigo takes a different tunnel at the crossing and the two keep on going. The two walk down the tunnel, Isabeau turns her flashlight back on. The sudden sound of wooden floorboards creak underneath them. Isabeau squeezes her eyes shut. "Bollocks."

Isabeau and Ben fall through the floor, landing in a pile of bones. They both breath heavily, Isabeau clenching her teeth as she moves. Ben spots a pile of skulls sitting in front of his face and jumps back.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay." Isabeau breathes out. Isabeau hears a cough. She looks up, relief flooding her chest. Haley, Dean and Sam are hanging by their wrists from the ceiling. Isabeau gets back on her feet and runs to her best friends.

"Sam. Dean." Each one of her hands reached up to cup the boy's cheeks. She shakes them lightly and they jerk awake, Isabeau couldn't help but smile that they were alive. Well, they were covered in cuts, blood and bruises. "Hey, are my two damsels in distress okay?"

Sam painfully coughed out a laugh and Dean winces. "Ugh, yeah."

Isabeau glances over at Ben, seeing her was too busy worrying about Haley to pay attention to them. "Okay." Isabeau pulls out a knife from her boot and cuts Dean down first, throwing his arm over her shoulder and then doing the same to Sam.

"I gotcha." She sets the two of them down on an empty patch of floor, grimacing at the pained noises they were making.

"You sure you're alright?" Isabeau asks, doing her best to check them over to make sure there weren't any wounds that needed immediate attention.

Dean grimaced, placing a free hand on the crook of her neck and squeezing it lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Where is it?"

Isabeau sighed as Ben and Haley sat next to them. "It's gone for now." She removed Dean's hand, moving as Haley got up.

Haley spotted Tommy still hanging and she started crying. "Tommy…" Haley reaches out and touches Tommy's cheek only to jump back in fright as his head jerks up. Isabeau takes out her knife once more, cutting Tommy down and helping him down.

Isabeau steps away, letting the siblings reunite and walks over back to Sam and Dean. "Come on you." She bends down, pulling Sam's arm over her shoulder, helping him stand as Dean gets up on his own, picking up flare guns.

"Check it out." Dean says.

Sam smiles through the pain. "Flare guns. Those'll work." He chuckles. Dean smiles and twists the guns.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, but smiles nonetheless. "Come on, Doc Holliday."

They all headed down the tunnel, both Sam and Dean were able to walk on their own and walk behind Isabeau who was taking the lead. Dean handed Sam a flare gun while Haley and Ben were in the back, supporting Tommy.

Sam and Dean come up beside Isabeau, flare guns at the ready when growling emitted throughout the tunnels. "Looks like someone's home for supper." Dean says.

"We'll never outrun it." Haley states.

Dean looks back at the others. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sam says.

The wendigo growls again. Isabeau glares at Dean. "Hell to the no, Winchester." She walks just past Dean, turning to everyone. "All right, listen to me. Stay with Sam and Dean. They're going to get you out of here."

"Beau." Dean and Sam growled out.

"You don't even have a flare gun. What are you gonna do?" Haley asks Isabeau.

Isabeau smirks knowingly at Sam and Dean, before winking at Haley and starts walking away, yelling. "It's chow time, you fucking bastard! Yeah, that's right! Bring it on, baby! I taste good!"

As Isabeau disappears from the group's line of vision, Isabeau strides along the tunnel, smirking as her hands light up in flames. "Right over here!"

Back with the group, Sam and Dean wait until Isabeau is safe distance away. "All right, come one! Hurry!" Sam calls. The group of siblings following the Winchesters down the tunnel.

Isabeau continues to walk along the tunnels, her flames burning brighter every passing second. Her anger feeds into its heat and her eyes glow orange because of it. "Hey! You want some white meat, bitch! I'm right here!" Isabeau looked around. The wendigo wasn't after her. She growled, then she would just have to go find it herself.

Meanwhile, Sam, Dean, Haley, Ben and Tommy hurry down the tunnel. Both Winchester brothers point their guns toward the growling, then lower them and turns to the others. "Get him out of here." Sam tells Haley.

"Sam, no." Haley protests.

"Go. Go! Go!" Dean yells at them.

"Come on, Haley!" Ben helps Haley and Tommy along the mine tunnel.

The brother's both turn back, their flare guns ready to shoot, looking down the tunnel. "Come on. Come on." Sam whispers out.

This time the growling sounded way too close. Sam and Dean turn and the wendigo is right in front of their faces. Sam rolls to the ground and shoots and misses. Dean grabs his brother's jacket, pulling him up and runs after the others. "Come on, Sam!"

"Sam! Dean!" Haley calls out in fear.

Haley sees the two running towards them. "Come on!" Dean yells out.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Go!" Sam shouts at them. The wendigo is right behind them.

They ran to the end of the tunnel, there was nowhere to go. Sam and Dean step in front of Haley, Ben and Tommy. "Get behind us." Sam commands them. The wendigo was taking it's time approaching them.

Dean pulls up his flare gun and pulls the trigger, but the gun didn't fire. He pulls the trigger a couple more times but nothing happens. He throws it down to the ground. "Son of a bitch is empty."

A high pitched whistle breaks through the wendigo's growling. "Hey." The wendigo turns around to face Isabeau, her hands are no longer on fire, but her eyes are still glowing a fiery orange. She smirks, "You're one ugly motherfucker." The wendigo roars at her.

Isabeau takes in a deep breath and blows out with her entire lungs, fire bursting from her mouth and consuming the wendigo in flames. Isabeau stops, her eyes going back to their normal blue, watching as wendigo crumbles to the ground, burning to ashes.

She looks up at Sam and Dean, giving them a bright smile. "Not bad, huh?"

Sam and Dean gave her huge smiles, impressed by her work.

* * *

An ambulance loads up Tommy. Two police officers were interviewing Ben with Sam standing behind him. Dean was leaning up against the impala while Isabeau was talking with Haley.

"So, really, I don't know how to thank you." Haley tells Isabeau.

Isabeau looks down shyly, pulling her hair behind her ear. Haley smiles softly at Isabeau, finding her shyness cute. Haley rolls her eyes as she sees Dean behind Isabeau giving Haley an encouraging two thumbs up. "Must you cheapen the moment?"

Isabeau looks over her shoulder to Dean, who shrugs. "Yeah!" He chuckles. Isabeau shakes her head, turning back to Haley.

A paramedic comes up behind Haley. "You riding with your brother?"

She turns to the paramedic. "Yeah."

The paramedic heads back to the ambulance and Haley turns to Ben as him and Sam walk up. "Let's go."

Sam and Ben nod at each other. Haley turns to Isabeau, leans forward and kisses Isabeau on the cheek softly. Isabeau sucks in a breath, not expecting the gesture. "Thank you, Isabeau."

Haley looks over to Dean. "I hope you find your father." Dean nods to her. Haley puts her arm around Ben's shoulder, thanking Sam as they walk by. Isabeau leans on the impala next to Dean and Sam comes to do the same on her other side.

The three watch as Haley and Ben climb into the ambulance. Haley and Isabeau share one last look before the paramedics close the ambulance doors.

"Man, I hate camping." Dean declares.

"Me too." Sam agrees.

Isabeau says nothing, but stares after the ambulance as it leaves.

"Sam, you know we're gonna find dad, right?" Dean reassures Sam.

Sam sighs with a nod. "Yeah, I know. But in the meantime... " Sam smiles, "...I'm driving."

Dean takes out the car keys and tosses them to Sam, who catches it mid-air. Isabeau rolls her eyes with a smile, pushing herself off the hood. "Morons."

"Hey, you got the girl. That's your win for tonight." Dean says.

Sam chuckles, teasing her. "Yeah, never seen you so flustered before, Beau."

Isabeau groaned. "Hey! It's not my fault women make me weak!"

Dean scoffs, "You're never like that with men." Isabeau pauses, turning to Dean with a smirk and grabbing a fistful of his shirt, pulling him close so that their faces are only a couple of inches apart. Dean freezes at Isabeau's action and his eyes glance down to her lips before going back to her eyes.

"I make men weak for me, Dearie." Isabeau giggled out, letting go of Dean's shirt. She reached up, patting Sam's cheek. Sam stared at her in shock as she did so. "Come on, Sam. Take the wheel before I take it for myself." She chuckled, walking away from the brothers, and climbing into the backseat.

In the backseat, Isabeau's face burned with the heat of the sun. She couldn't believe she just did that. Her and Dean playfully flirts all the time, so this shouldn't have been any different. She took a deep breath, calming down. She hoped that Dean and Sam would brush it off as nothing, just harmless fun. Oh boy, did she hope.

The shutting of the door made Dean and Sam snap back into reality. Dean licked his lips as Sam coughed.

"We, uh…" Dean started.

Sam cleared his throat. "Better get moving." They looked at each and nodded, pushing what just happened to the back of their minds, trying to pretend that nothing happened.

Sam climbed into the driver's seat and Dean into the passenger, they slammed the doors almost in sync.

Sam started up the car, revving the engine, smiling at Dean and Isabeau and drove off to their next case. Isabeau sighed, content that they didn't bring up what she did with Dean.

"By the way, nice fire breathing move. That was bad-ass." Dean said, shifting to look at Isabeau.

Isabeau smiled, enjoying that Dean found amusement in her actions in the tunnels. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the front seat. "Had to do something to save you two damsels in distress."

Both brothers groaned. "We didn't need saving."

Isabeau raised a brow at Dean, even Sam gave him a look for that comment. "Our asses would've been dead Dean." Isabeau chuckled, ruffling Dean's hair. He swatted at her hand.

She leaned back, spreading out over the backseat. "I'm always going to be your guys knight in shining armor."


	8. Dead in the Water Pt.1

“Eugene, slow down.” Isabeau laughed as her brother went on about their grandfather showing him how to take apart an engine and put it back together. 

She leaned against the restaurant counter, taking a sip of her drink. She glanced over, watching Dean flips through the obituaries. Isabeau rolls her eyes, listening to Eugene talk. “So, you’re at Gramps for the next two weeks? Where’s Alphonse and Dion?” 

She felt a hand tugging at the loose braid that she pulled her hair into. Isabeau looked over, seeing that it was Dean. She swatted her hand at him, giving him a look, he mocked her expression. 

“They’re with Uncle C, for the next couple of days?” Isabeau repeated what her brother said. Dean tugged on her braid again. 

Isabeau sighed. “Take care of yourself. And tell Gramps to stop swearing in front of you. You’re picking up his vocabulary. Yeah… I love you too.” Isabeau hangs up the phone and turns to Dean. 

“Would you stop tugging on my hair?” Isabeau asks him. 

Dean shrugs, pulling her braid to the front so that is cascaded over her shoulder. “What’s the fun in that?” He turned back to the papers. “How are the little tykes?” 

Isabeau chuckled, “Well, Gramps has got Eugene and knowing the two of them, they’re going to be elbows deep in grease and car parts. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get a phone call from Gramps about Eugene accidentally blowing up something.” 

Dean laughs. “That kid still doesn’t have a hold of his fire power?” 

“Not really. I mean neither did I Dean. I didn’t fully control it until Alphonse’s age.” She takes a sip of her drink and points her finger at Dean. “Speaking of Alphonse, him and Dion are with my Uncle C, no doubt causing chaos as we’re speaking. And knowing Uncle C, he’ll try to help the boys sneak in a new pet. He spoils those two.” 

“Didn’t they bring home a snake the last time?” Dean asked, with a slight shudder. 

Isabeau smirked, she knew Dean wasn’t particularly fond of snakes, but she loved them. “First of all, that was me. And it was a gift. No, he’ll probably send the boys home with a dog.”

“That’s not any better.” 

Isabeau scoffed, “That’s way better! Dad would be ecstatic about the dog. When I came home with a snake, he wanted it out of the house the second I stepped through the door. Mom had to convince him to let me keep it.” 

Dean chuckles, circling an obituary on the paper. The waitress walks over, leaning over slightly in Dean’s vision. Isabeau raises her brow at the waitress's flirtatious smile. “Can I get you anything else?” She asks. 

Dean looks up and grins around the pen he’s chewing on. Sam comes over, taking a seat next to Isabeau, once again, placing her in between the brothers. “Just the check, please.” Isabeau hides her smile behind her hand. 

“Okay.” The waitress walks away and Dean drops his head, then looks at Sam. 

“You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while.” Dean looks back at the waitress who was walking away with a sway in her step. He points at her. “That’s fun.” 

Sam says nothing, looking at Dean. Dean sighs, “Here, take a look at this. I think I got one.” He puts the newspaper in front of Isabeau for all three of them to see. “Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin, last week, Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn’t walk out. Authorities dragged the water, nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found, either. They had a funeral two days ago.” 

“A funeral?” Sam questions. 

“Yeah, it’s weird. They buried an empty coffin for, uh, closure or whatever.” Dean says. 

“Closure?” Sam scoffs. “What closure? People don’t just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them.” 

Isabeau sighed. She knew where Sam was going with this. Dean gave Sam a look. “Something you want to say to me?” 

“The trail for dad, it’s getting colder every day.” 

“Exactly, so what are we supposed to do?” 

“I don’t know, something. Anything.” Sam responds. 

“You know what? I’m sick of this attitude. You don’t think I want to find dad as much as you do?” Dean says. 

“Dean.” Isabeau warned Dean. 

“Yeah, I know you do, it’s just-” 

“I’m the one that’s been with him every single day for the past two years, while you’ve been off to college pep rallies. Isabeau was with her family, so she’s helping in any way she can. We will find dad. But until then, we’re gonna kill everything bad between here and there, okay?” Dean explained, trying to get his point across. 

Isabeau took a breath and Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. The waitress who was serving Dean and Isabeau walked by distracting Dean. Isabeau points at Sophie Carlton’s obituary. “All right, Lake Manitoc.” She noticed that he was still staring at the waitress. “Hey! Keep it in your pants for one second.” 

“Huh?” Dean looks to Isabeau. 

“How far?” She asks.

* * *

The impala pulls up to the front of the Carlton house. The engine stops and Dean, Sam and Isabeau climb out of the car and walk up to the front door. Dean knocks and a man opens it. 

“Will Carlton?” Dean asks. 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Will answers. 

“I’m Agent Ford. This is Agent Hamill and Agent Jones.” Dean gestures to Sam and Isabeau. “We’re with the U.S. Wildlife Service.” Dean holds up his badge. 

* * *

Will walked them to the lake, Bill Carlton is sitting on a bench on the dock. 

“She was about 100 yards out.” Will looks at the lake and then back at them. “That’s where she got dragged down.”

“And you’re sure she didn’t just drown?” Dean asked. Isabeau turned toward the lake, squinting her eyes at it. 

“Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake. She’s as safe out there as in her own bathtub.” Will says. 

Isabeau breaks away from the group, walking down towards the lakes edge and crouches down. She tuned out the conversation that the boys were having, looking out onto the lake. 

Isabeau loved the water, she recalled the many summers that she would swim in the lake in her own backyard. Thinking about it logically, her and water should never mix, not even for a quick dip in the lake. It did weaken her fire power but never completely extinguished it. 

She sighed, letting out her hand, and lightly dipping her fingers into the cool waters. She gasped, her eyes closing, everything was blurry, her lungs felt like they were being filled with water, desperate for air. 

“Hey.” A hand landed on her shoulder. Isabeau’s eyes opened and stood up from her crouched position, whipping around to see Sam. “You okay?” He asked, concern written all over his face. 

Isabeau sucked in a shaky breath and nodded. “I… I think so.” She lifted up her hand, traces of water still on them. “When I touched the water, I felt it all around me… I couldn’t breath.” 

Sam shifted on his feet, not liking what Isabeau told him. “Come on, I don’t want you near the water.” 

Sam placed his arm over her shoulder, walking them back to the car. Isabeau smiled. “Can’t tell me what to do, Sam.” 

Sam chuckled. “I know, but I can try.”

* * *

“Now, I’m sorry, but why does the wildlife service care about an accidental drowning?” The sheriff, Jake Devins asks. 

“You sure it’s accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister.” Sam says as they walk into the sheriff’s office. 

“Like what? Here, sit, please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake.” 

Sam sits down, and Dean gestures for Isabeau to take the chair. She shakes her head no. Dean presses his lips together wanting to argue but he sits done anyway, Isabeau standing in between Sam and Dean. He knew not to start an argument with her. 

“There’s nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness monster.” Jake jokes. 

“Yeah.” Dean agrees with a chuckle. “Right.” He glances at Sam. 

“Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep just to be sure, and there was nothing down there.” Jake explained. 

“That’s weird, though. I mean, that’s the third missing body this year.” Dean leaned forward. 

“I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about.” 

“I know.” 

“Anyway…” Jake sighs. “All this, it won’t be a problem much longer.” 

Isabeau tilted her head. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, the dam, of course.” He stated as if it was the most obvious thing. 

Dean leaned back. “Of course, the dam. It’s uh…” 

“Falling apart.” Isabeau said. 

Jake nodded at her. “And the feds won’t give us the grant to repair it, so they’ve opened the spillway. In another six months, there won’t be much of a lake. There won’t be much of a town, either, but as federal wildlife, you already knew that.” 

“Exactly.” Dean said, trying to continue with their lie. 

A knock on the door turned everyone’s heads. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” Sam and Dean stand up from their seats, and Isabeau turns around full to face the woman that walked in. “I can come back later.” 

“Gentleman, lady, this is my daughter.” Jake states. 

Isabeau steps aside over to Sam as Dean goes toward the woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dean.” He shakes her hand, a smile ever so present on his face. 

“Andrea Bar. Hi.” She introduces herself. 

“Hi.” 

Isabeau shoves her hands into her pockets. Of course Dean has to flirt with every attractive woman that came in his path. It made her heart drop a little every time he did it. Though she would never admit how she felt to Dean. She felt Sam hook a finger in one of her belt loops. 

She glanced up at him, his face directed toward Andrea, but his eyes would steal quick glances at Isabeau. It was his silent gesture of comfort, to tell her that he was there with her. Isabeau smiled, looking back towards Dean and Andrea. And she would never admit anything she felt towards Sam either. She pushed away those feelings again, like she did everyday she was with them. 

“They’re from the wildlife service about the lake.” Jake tells Andrea. 

“Oh.” 

A boy walks in, behind Andrea. Isabeau softly smiles at the boy. 

“Oh, hey there. What’s your name?” Dean asks with a smile. 

He didn’t even make eye contact with Dean when he was asked his name. The boy walks away without speaking. Andrea follows the boy into the main room. 

“His name is Lucas.” Jake says. 

Isabeau looks at Lucas, Andrea was giving him crayons out of a box. 

“Is he okay?” Sam asks. Both brothers turn to Jake as Isabeau stays in her place. 

“My grandson’s been through a lot. We all have.” Jake comes out from behind his desk and to the officer door. “Well, if there’s anything else I can do for you, please let me know.” 

Dean thanks Jake and the three of them leave the office. “You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?” Dean turns to Andrea. 

“Lakefront Motel. Go around the corner, it’s two blocks up.” Andrea explains. 

“Two, would you mind showing us?” Dean asks with a smile. 

Andrea chuckles. “You want me to walk you two blocks?” 

Isabeau and Sam shared a look. “Not if it’s any trouble?” Dean says. 

“I’m headed that way anyway.” Andrea turns to Jake. “I’ll be back to pick up Lucas at 3:00.” Andrea leans down to Lucas. “We’ll go to the park, okay, sweetie?” She gives her son a kiss on the head and leads the three out. 

“Thanks again.” Sam says to Jake. 

* * *

Andrea leads Dean, Sam and Isabeau down the street. 

“So, cute kid.” Dean speaks up. Isabeau rolled her eyes, fake gagging to Sam, who smiled at Isabeau’s actions. He hit her shoulder playfully and she hit back with an equal smile. 

Andrea thanks Dean for the compliment on Lucas. 

“Kids are the best, huh?” Dean says. Isabeau’s eyes widened. Was that really his best pick up line? 

Andrea glances at Dean but ignores him as they cross the street. “There it is. Like I said, two blocks.” 

“Thanks.” Sam thanks Andrea and she addresses Dean. 

“Must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.” Andrea says. 

Isabeau’s jaw drops in awe as Andrea walks away from them. “Enjoy your stay.” Andrea calls out before completely walking away. Isabeau wanted to burst out laughing but she hid it behind her hand in a fit of giggles. 

“‘Kids are the best’? You don’t even like kids.” Sam states. Isabeau stops her fit of giggles and shrugs. Isabeau always thought Dean was good with her brothers. 

“I love kids.” Dean objects. 

“Name three children that you even know.” Sam challenges him. 

Dean smirks, raising his hand to count off his fingers. “Easy, Al-” 

Isabeau raises her hand to stop him. “Name three children that are _not_ my brothers.” She raises a brow at him when his smirk falls. 

He pauses, realizing he didn’t know any children besides Isabeau’s three younger brothers. Sam waves Dean off, leading himself and Isabeau away from his brother and towards the motel. 

Dean scratches his head. “I’m thinking.”

* * *

Sam is working on his laptop at the table with Isabeau beside him, flipping through one of her grimoires as Dean is going through his clothing. 

“So there’s the three drowning victims this year.” Sam says. 

“And before that?” Dean asks. 

“Uh, yeah, six more, spread out over the past 35 years. Those bodies were never recovered, either. If there is something out there, it’s picking up it’s pace.” 

“So we got a lake monster on a binge?” 

“This whole lake monster theory, it just bugs me.” Sam says. 

“Why?” 

Isabeau sighs, standing up from the table and walking over to her bag. She rifled through it trying to find her box full of ingredients. 

“Well, Loch Ness, Lake Champlain, there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing.” Sam explains. “Whatever it is out there, no one’s living to talk about it.” 

“Wait,” Dean points at the laptop screen. “Barr, Christopher Barr, where have I heard that name before?” 

“Christopher Barr, the victim in May.” Sam clicks on the article. “Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea’s husband, Lucas’s father. Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned two hours before the kid got rescued.” 

Isabeau came back over to the table with a wooden box with carvings all over it and shook her head at the information. “No child should have to go through that.” She commented. 

Sam clicks on the picture of Lucas and scratches his head. “Maybe we have an eyewitness after all.” 

“No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn’t something you just get over.” Dean says. 

“He’s a little more than freaked out, Dean.” Both brothers look at Isabeau.

She sighs, opening her box and taking out a small glass bottle that was filled with sickening green liquid substance and little pieces of what looked like seaweed and pieces of white particles floating in it. “He’s traumatized.” She closes her box and shakes the small bottle. 

“What’s that?” Sam asks, closing his laptop. 

Isabeau stops shaking it and the bottle is now glowing green. She grimaced at it. “Kelp and raw oysters, once you swallow it, it helps you breathe underwater for at least 10 minutes.” 

“That seems short.” Dean says, holding his hand out to take a look at it. Isabeau places it in his hand and Dean looks closely at it. “It looks…” 

“Vile.” Sam grimaced. 

Isabeau nodded. “It is. It would be longer, but it depends on how much of it you consume. This is kind of a hands on, emergency one. The ingredients themselves are useless without a spell, but I already went ahead and prepared my entire stash while we were still in Stanford.” She grabs the bottle from Dean, throwing on her jacket and placing it in her pocket. 

“Why would you need it?” Sam asks. 

Isabeau pauses. “Just in case I need to go for a swim.”

* * *

Isabeau smiled as the children ran around the park, screaming in joy as they played. The three walked up to Andrea as Jake was off by himself on a bench drawing. 

“Can we join you?” Sam asks politely. 

Andrea looks up to Sam, Dean and Isabeau. “I’m here with my son.” 

Dean looks over at Lucas. “Oh. Mind if we say hi?” Dean nudges Isabeau and she follows Dean over to Lucas. 

“How’s it going?” Both Dean and Isabeau crouches down to Lucas, who doesn’t answer Dean. “Ah.” He chuckles and notices the toy soldiers. “Oh, I used to love these things.” Dean picks one up and points it at Isabeau. He imitates gun and explosion noises and Isabeau plays along, pretending to be shot, placing a hand over her heart. 

“Aah!” Dean chuckles, dropping the toy soldier back on the bench. “So crayons is more your thing? That’s cool.” 

“Girls like artists.” Isabeau added, giving Dean a smile. He returns it, looking through Lucas’s drawings, the first one is of a big black swirl and the second one is of a red bike. “Hey, these are pretty good.” 

“You mind if we sit and draw with you for awhile?” Dean picks up two crayons and hands one to Isabeau. “I’m not so bad myself. I mean, I’m not Isabeau.” 

Isabeau laughed under her breath. “Flatterer.” Dean has seen her work from when she was in college. As an art history major, you still had to take basic studio art classes. She didn’t see herself as highly skilled but she was decent. 

Dean and Isabeau sit on the bench, each one of them picking up a pad of paper, and start drawing. “You know, I’m thinking you can hear me. You just don’t want to talk. I don’t know exactly what happened to your dad, but I know it was something real bad. I think I know how you feel. When I was your age, I saw something.” 

Isabeau pauses her drawing, looking up to Dean. Isabeau was never there that night of the fire, hell she was only one-year-old when it happened, but she remembers what her parents told her. It was terrifying, fire everywhere, pain, and sorrow. 

“Anyway… Well, maybe you don’t think anyone will listen to you or, uh… or believe you. I want you to know that we will. You don’t even have to say anything. You could draw me a picture about what you saw that day with your dad on the lake.” Dean says to Lucas. He still doesn’t answer. 

“Okay, no problem. This is for you.” Dean shows Lucas his drawing. Isabeau smiles fondly at it seeing it was a bunch of stick figures. “This is my family. That’s my dad. That’s my mom. That’s my geek brother. That’s me and… that’s Isabeau, my best friend.” 

Isabeau blinked at Dean, a little surprised he included her. “All right, so I’m a sucky artist. I’ll see you around, Lucas.” Dean gets up, setting down his picture. Isabeau waves him off, telling him she’s going to be a minute. 

Once Dean is out of ear shot, Isabeau moves to crouch down in front of Lucas. “I know, you’re not going to talk, and that’s fine, Lucas. What you’ve been through, I can’t begin to understand, but I can try.” 

Isabeau smiles sadly when Lucas doesn’t respond, she huffs and holds up her own picture. It was a picture of her family as well, just a little more detailed than Dean’s. “This is my family, Lucas. My mom, my dad, my three younger brothers, they’re around your age actually. There’s me and…” 

Isabeau laughs. “Sam and Dean, they are more than just my best friends, more than just my family, but don’t tell them I said that.” She playfully added. She knew that Lucas wasn’t going to answer. 

She set down her drawing next to Dean’s. “I can help Lucas. You can show me, you don’t even have to draw it, you just need to hold my hand.” Isabeau offered. Lucas continued drawing. 

Isabeau stands up, “See you around, Lucas.” She walks away, approaching Dean, Sam and Andrea. 

“Lucas hasn’t said a word, not even to me, not since his dad’s accident.” Andrea tells them. 

“Yeah, we heard. Sorry.” Dean says. 

“What are the doctors saying?” Sam asks. 

“That it’s a kind of post-traumatic stress.” Andrea answers. 

“That can’t be easy for either for you.” Sam sympathises. 

“We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot. It’s just…” Andrea looks down. “When I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…” 

“Kids are strong. You’d be surprised what they can deal with.” Isabeau tells Andrea. I mean, if Dean and Sam made it through with their childhood and her own brothers seeing horrors at such a young age, she knew kids were tough. 

“You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there, drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish- Hey, sweetie.” Lucas comes up to them, carrying a picture. 

Lucas holds up a picture to Dean without looking at him. “Thanks.” It’s a picture of a house Thanks, Lucas.” 

Lucas walks away, heading back over to the bench.

* * *

Dean is inside the motel room sitting on one of the beds. Sam opens the door, Isabeau walks in with Sam behind her.

“So,” Sam shuts the door. “I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie.” Sam says. 

“What do you mean?” Dean asks. 

Sam sits next to Dean as Isabeau leans against the wall across from them. “We just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead.” Sam says. 

“He drowned?” Dean asks. 

“Yep.” Isabeau pops the ‘p’. “In the sink.” She confirms. 

“What the hell? So you're right, this isn't a creature. We're dealing with something else.” Dean says. 

“Yeah, but what?” Sam asks. 

“I don't know. Water wraith, maybe? Some kind of demon? I mean, something that controls water...water that comes from the same source.” Dean tries to come up with ideas. 

“The lake.” Sam says. 

“Yeah.” Dean agrees. 

Isabeau snaps her fingers pointing at them. “Which would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time.” 

“And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere.” Dean says. 

Dean stands up. “This is gonna happen again soon.” He says. 

Dean sits down on a chair and Isabeau goes to take the spot on the bed where Dean was. “Did you see anything Isabeau? Anything when you touched the lake?” He asked. 

Isabeau shook her head. “Like I told Sam, I couldn’t see anything. I just felt it. I felt like I was in the body of someone else.” She took a breath. “I felt them die, Dean. I could feel my own lungs filling up with water… Whatever this thing is, it wants it’s victims to feel pain.” 

Everyone was silent for a few moments, letting the information sink in. 

“Well, we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton.” Sam says. 

“Yeah, it took both his kids.” Dean says. 

“And I've been asking around. Lucas's dad, Chris-Bill Carlton's godson.” Sam says. 

“Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit.” Dean says. 

Dean gets up, grabs his jacket and heads out the door. Isabeau gets up but Sam grabs her arm to hold her back. Isabeau looks at him confused. “What’s up, Stretch?” 

“You didn’t tell me any of that down at the lake.” Sam confronted her. 

Isabeau shrugs. ”You didn’t ask for specifics. Besides, it’s just a sign that my power is growing. I knew it was going to this point and I knew it was going to affect me.” 

“You could’ve told me.” 

“And done what, Sam? I chose to pick up this power and I knew the consequences. Yeah, it’s going to hurt me sometimes, but I’m fine.” 

Sam sighs. “Just promise me one thing.” 

Isabeau smiled. “Sure, Stretch.” 

“Promise me that you won’t use that potion in your pocket.” 

Isabeau’s eyes widened. ”What? Why?” 

“I looked at your grimoire, it could hurt you. It has negative effects against fire, and correct me if I’m wrong, but half of you is fire.” Sam exclaims. 

Isabeau huffs, “Fine.” She points a finger at him. “But I’m keeping it, for an emergency.” 

Sam groans. “Only for an emergency.”

* * *

“Mr. Carlton?” Sam calls out. Bill Carlton is sitting on the bench on the dock. He looks up as Sam, Dean and Isabeau approaches. 

“We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.” Sam asks. 

“We're from the, the Department-” Dean starts to say but Bill cuts him off. 

“I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today.” He says, his voice breaking. Staring off into the distance.

“Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there? Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death, we think there might be a connection to you or your family.” Sam explains. 

“My children are gone. It's...it's worse than dying.” He turns to Sam and then back to the lake. “Go away... Please.” 

The three head back to the car, Isabeau leans on the backseat door of the impala. 

“What do you think?” Sam asks the two of them. 

“Aw, I think the poor guy's been through hell. I also think he's not telling us something.” Dean answers. 

Sam leans on the Impala. “So now what?” 

Isabeau tilts her head, while looking at the Carlton’s house. “What is it, Beau?” Sam asks. 

Dean looks at the house as well, seeing what Isabeau was. “Huh.” He looks back at Isabeau. 

“Maybe Bill’s not the only one who knows something.” Isabeau says, looking at Dean. 

Dean pulls out the picture that Lucas gave him, which is of the Carlton house. Dean and Isabeau look at Sam.

* * *

They headed over to Andrea’s house in order to talk to Lucas. “I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea.” Andrea says to Dean. 

“I just need to talk to him.” Dean says. “Just for a few minutes.” 

“He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?” Andrea counters. 

“Andrea, we think more people might get hurt.” Isabeau says. 

“We think something's happening out there.” Sam finished. 

“My husband, the others, they just drowned. That's all.” Andrea says. 

“If that's what you really believe, then we'll go. But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let me talk to your son.” Dean begs Andrea.

* * *

Lucas is coloring, toy soldiers standing around him. Dean, Isabeau Andrea, and Sam approach the doorway. Dean and Isabeau enter the room and crouches down by Lucas.

“Hey, Lucas. You remember me and Isabeau?” Dean asks Lucas. 

Isabeau looks at Lucas’s drawings, touching them to see more underneath the first drawing. He has drawn more pictures of a red bicycle.

“You know, I, uh, I wanted to thank you for that last drawing… But the thing is, I need your help again.” Dean says.

Lucas is drawing a person in water. Dean reaches into his pocket and opens the picture of the house and puts it down in front of Lucas.

“How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for me.” Dean asks. 

Lucas keeps on coloring.

“You're scared. It's okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too.” Isabeau glanced at Sam. Sam was listening intently to Dean’s words. Isabeau sighed, she realized that Dean never talked to Sam about how he felt that night. 

“I didn't feel like talking, just like you. But see, my mom, I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. And maybe, your dad wants you to be brave too.” Dean finished

Lucas drops his crayon and looks up at Dean. He hands Dean a picture of a white church, a yellow house, and a boy with a blue baseball cap and red bicycle in front of a wooden fence.

“Thanks, Lucas.” Dean thanks him. 

Lucas then turns to Isabeau, reaching out his hand to her. Isabeau moves to her knees and gives her hands to Lucas. He picks up a black crayon and puts it in her hand. Lucas pulls over a piece of paper and guides her hand down so that the crayon met the paper. “What, Lucas?” Isabeau whispered out. 

Lucas guided Isabeau’s hand in an uneven circular motion, the black crayon creating a black swirl on the entire paper. She stared at the center of the swirl, her vision filled with flashes of people reaching up towards the surface of the water, desperate for air. 

Isabeau blinked when Lucas stopped her hand. Lucas let go of her hand and looked up at her. “Okay, Lucas.” Isabeau picked up the paper, her fingers lightly tracing the surface. 

“Thank you.”


	9. Dead in the Water Pt.2

Dean, Isabeau and Sam are in the impala, with Isabeau sitting in the backseat. Sam is holding the church picture and Isabeau is still holding the picture that she and Lucas drew.

"Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died." Dean says.

"There are cases, going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies." Sam explains.

"Not to mention children are more susceptible. Their minds are more open, they believe in things that adults don't." Isabeau commented from the backseat.

"Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Dean asks.

"Ah…" Sam starts.

"I mean, it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please." Dean says.

Sam puts his hands up in defeat. "All right, we got another house to find."

"The only problem is there's about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone." Dean points out.

Sam looks at the picture. "See this church? I bet there's less than a thousand of those around here."

"Oh, College Boy thinks he's so smart."

Sam chuckles, "You know, um… What you said about Mom…"

Isabeau shifted in her seat, noticing Dean didn't want to talk about it.

"You never told me that before." Sam says.

"It's no big deal." Dean says. Sam says nothing, but stares at his brother. That wasn't the answer he wanted. Dean never talked about that night, so Sam never knew how Dean felt.

Dean looked over at his brother and frowned. "Oh God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?"

Sam smiled to himself. Isabeau looked back down to the picture in her hand, she sighs, folding it up and placing it in her pocket.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean approach a white church like the one in Lucas's picture. Dean holds up the picture and looks at it, comparing it to the scene in front of him; there's a yellow house next to the church and a wooden fence near the house.

Sam looks at Dean and Isabeau. The three look up at the church and cross the street to the house.

"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am," Dean apologizes. The three were now in Mrs. Sweeney's house, speaking to her.

"...but does a little boy live here, by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle?" Dean asks.

Mrs. Sweeney looks down sadly. "No sir. Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for thirty-five years now." She shakes her head.

Isabeau notices a picture of Peter on the side table. Mrs. Sweeney sighs. "The police never… I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared." Mrs. Sweeney says sadly.

Sam looks over to Dean and points out a number of toy soldiers on a table.

"Losing him—you know, it's...it's worse than dying." Mrs. Sweeney says.

Isabeau glances at Sam and Dean. "Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?" Isabeau asks softly.

"He was supposed to," Mrs. Sweeney chokes up. "Ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up." Mrs. Sweeney answers.

Dean picks a picture off the mirror. There are two boys in the picture, one Peter with a bicycle. He flips it over and reads from the back of the picture. "Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, nineteen seventy." Dean reads aloud.

* * *

The three are back in the impala, heading towards Bill Carlton's house. "Okay, this little boy Peter Sweeney vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow." Sam says.

Dean nods. "Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?"

"And Bill, the people he loves, they're all getting punished. I mean, what you said Isabeau."

Isabeau leans forward. "Yeah, it's anger, vengeful actually."

"So what if Bill did something to Peter?" Dean suggested.

"What if Bill killed him?" Sam added into the mix.

"Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge. It's possible." Dean says.

Isabeau scoffed. "Oh, it's possible. And it's more than furious. It's on a death kick, and it ain't gonna stop until it's done."

* * *

The impala pulls up in front of the Carlton house, Sam, Isabeau and Dean get out and approach the house.

"Mr. Carlton?" Sam yells out.

Isabeau's head turns as she hears an engine roar. She see Mr. Carlton heading out onto the lake on his boat.

Dean sees as well and calls Sam. "Hey, check it out."

"No." Isabeau whispers out, running out to the end of the dock, Sam and Dean right behind her.

"Mr. Carlton! You need to come back! Come out of the water!" Dean yells.

"Mr. Carlton!" Sam shouts.

Isabeau grits her teeth before yelling out, "Turn your boat around! Mr. Carlton!"

Bill ignores their calls and keeps going. The water rises up and flips Bill's boat over. Dean jumps in surprise and Isabeau's eyes widen. The boat and Bill vanish.

Isabeau pulled out the small bottle from her pocket and opened it. "Fuck it."

"No! Beau!" Sam reaches out, grabbing the bottle and it's cap, closing it up. Isabeau glares at Sam, reaching out to grab it from Sam. "Give it back!" Isabeau growled out.

Sam grabs Isabeau, pinning her arms down to her sides, and pulling her into his chest, the bottle jutted out towards Dean. "Woah, hey!" Dean shouts, not understanding what was happening.

"Dean, keep this away from her." Sam tosses it to Dean who catches it, still confused. Isabeau struggles in Sam's hold.

"Let me drink it! Please!" Isabeau cries out, her voice cracking. "Please." Isabeau stops struggling. Isabeau shakes angrily, looking out into the water. Sam and Dean stare at Isabeau in shock at her outburst.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau, Dean, and Jake walk in through the door of the police station. Andrea looks over. "Sam, Dean, Isabeau." She stands up, putting her bag and container on her chair, next to Lucas. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Jake looks to the three of them and points, "So now you're on a first-name basis. What are you doing here?" Jake walks over to Andrea.

"I brought you dinner." She says.

Jake looks down at the dinner. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time." Isabeau looks over at Lucas and furrows her brow in concern, seeing Lucas rock back and forth.

Jake talks off his jacket and Andrea looks over to the three and then back to Jake. "I heard about Bill Carlton. Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?"

Jake glances back, "Right now we don't know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home."

Lucas looks up and whimpers, looking stricken at Jake's words. He jumps up and grabs Isabeau's arm, pulling her down to his height.

"Lucas, hey, what is it? Lucas?" Isabeau asks. She leans down, trying to comfort him.

Andrea comes over and embraces her son in worry. "Lucas."

"Lucas, it's okay. It's okay. Hey, Lucas, it's okay. It's okay." She gently lets Lucas's arms from her own and places her hand on his head briefly before Andrea pulls him away, leading him outside. Lucas doesn't look away from Isabeau the entire time.

Isabeau looked on, she felt utterly useless when Lucas held her arm. She wanted to comfort Jake, but that wasn't her place, it was Andrea's. When it came to children, she wanted to protect them with her entire being. When Lucas is out of sight, Dean lightly places his hand on Isabeau's shoulder, squeezing it.

Jake throws down his jacket and goes into his office. Sam, Dean and Isabeau follow him.

"Okay, just so I'm clear, you see...something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill, who is a very good swimmer, by the way, into the drink, and you never see him again?" Jake says.

Dean glances at Sam who was sitting across from him, Isabeau standing in between them. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

"And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake? And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really Wildlife Service?"

Dean's eyes widened in surprise. Isabeau's hand reaches down to its usual spot, playing with her rosary. Sam purses his lips in defeat.

"That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you three." Jake tells them.

"See," Dean points to Sam and Isabeau before turning to Jake. "Now, we can explain that."

"Enough. Please." Dean pauses at Jake's words. "The only reason you're breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rear-view mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again." Jake growls out at them.

Isabeau wanted to scream at Jake, tell him that they were there to help. But all she did was stare deadpan at Jake, there was nothing more she could do or say to keep them there.

"Door number two sounds good." Sam spoke for all of them.

"That's the one I'd pick." Jake told them condescendingly.

* * *

The impala pulls up to a sign that says I-43 North to Milwaukee is to the left. The light turns green, but the Impala doesn't move.

"Green." Sam says.

"What?" Dean snaps out of his daze.

"Light's green." Sam repeats. Dean turns right instead of left.

"Uh, the interstate's the other way." Sam points out.

Isabeau leans over from the backseat. "He knows." Sam looks back at Isabeau. Her brow is furrowed in confusion. She was clutching the drawing that Lucas gave her in her hand.

"But guys, this job, I think it's over." Sam tries to persuade them.

Dean shakes his head. "I'm not so sure."

"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest." Sam argues.

"All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?"

"But why would you think that?" Sam asks.

Isabeau breathes out. "Because Lucas was really scared."

Sam looks back at Isabeau. "That's what this is about?" Isabeau stared at Sam.

Dean speaks up. "We just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay."

Sam turned to Dean. "I expected this from Isabeau, but who are you? And what have you done with my brother?"

Dean glances at Isabeau and then at his brother. "Shut up."

* * *

Sam, Dean and Isabeau arrive at Andrea's house. "Are you sure about this? It's pretty late, man." Sam asks.

Dean rings the doorbell and at that moment, Lucas opens the door, desperately afraid.

"Lucas? Lucas!" Dean shouts. Lucas takes off into the house, Dean, Isabeau and Sam follow him upstairs.

Water is pouring out from under the bathroom door and down the stairs. Lucas starts pounding on the bathroom door. Dean pushes him over to Sam and kicks in the door. Andrea is thrashing in the tub, fighting against what was holding her underwater.

Isabeau hands Lucas over to Dean and Sam, she runs into the bathroom and sticks her arms in the tub, grabbing a hold of Andrea. Isabeau grunts, she tries pulling with all of her strength to get Andrea above the water's surface.

Isabeau finally has her above the water, only for Andrea to be pulled back under. "Aah!" Isabeau's eyes glow violet as she starts chanting in latin. Isabeau keeps pulling until Andrea is all the way out. Isabeau falls to the floor with Andrea on top of her, coughing up water.

Isabeau blinked, her eyes now glowing green as she held Andrea in her arms. More and more water left Andrea's lungs, once she stopped, Isabeau's eyes no longer glowed green and were back to their original blue.

* * *

Isabeau is looking out the window, watching the sun rise, Sam and Andrea are sitting in the living room. After what happened, Andrea was now dry and in comfortable clothing.

"Can you tell me?" Sam asks Andrea.

"No." Andrea says weakly.

Isabeau sighs, walking away from the two and goes to find Dean. She walked through the house, finding him looking through notebooks on bookshelves. "Hey." She said lightly. Dean turned to her. "Hey." He grunted back.

She nodded towards the books, "Need any help?" Dean gave her a hint of a smile and nodded. Isabeau smiled softly, walking over to Dean, helping him look through the books.

"Want to tell me about your outburst at the lake?" Dean suddenly asked. Isabeau froze, her hand hovering over a book.

Isabeau breathed in deeply. "In high school, I lost someone I was close to. I had the opportunity to save them, but I couldn't… I didn't."

Dean looked over at Isabeau, she clutched the book she was reaching for and set it aside. "Didn't know. Why did Sammy give me that potion you made? He seemed pretty desperate to get it away from you."

Isabeau gave a short chuckle. "The potion has negative effects against those who focus their power around fire… it can basically damage me permanently. My fire won't be as strong anymore."

Dean slammed down his book and glared at her. "You need to stop doing that."

"Doing what, Dean?"

"Putting yourself in harm's way to save others." Dean growled out.

Isabeau turned to him in disbelief. "Excuse me? If you haven't noticed Dean, that's our job. Hunting comes with putting ourselves in danger to help others. You, Sam and me, we get hurt all the time."

"But not on purpose." Dean growled out.

"I do what I need to do Dean, if I get hurt, too bad, I get hurt. Deal with it. You can't control what I do. Not you and not Sam." Isabeau firmly said.

Dean moved closer to Isabeau, their faces mer inches apart, "I will not let you willingly put yourself on the line."

"My life or my powers? Which one?" Isabeau challenged.

"Your life! I don't care that you're a witch or that half of you is a fire elemental. You matter to me, Isabeau! Supernatural being or not." Dean hesitates. "Please…"

Isabeau stares deep into Dean's eyes. "I can't guarantee that, Dean. You know I can't. And I know you, Dean. You'd put yourself in danger if it means saving someone's life. We're both to blame. I know that you care about me, Dean. I do too. About you and Sam. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you guys." Isabeau then chuckled, running her fingers through her hair.

"I guess we forgot about that, not being in each other's lives for so long."

Dean scoffs with a smile. "Yeah, I guess we did." His large hand goes and lands on the crook of her neck. "Just promise me… promise Sam and I that you will not drink that potion."

Isabeau nods, patting his chest. "Okay… plus you still got it, Winchester. Can't exactly take it if I don't have it." She pulls away from him, flipping through the notebooks.

Dean goes back to doing the same and pulls out a scrapbook that says "Jake – 12 years old" and opens it, flipping the pages. He closes it again, nudges Isabeau and both go to Sam and Andrea.

Dean puts the book down in front of Andrea, opened to a picture of Explorer Troop 37. "Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?"

"What? Um, um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there." She points to her father. "He must have been about twelve in these pictures." She moves her finger over to another picture of Jake as a child, he's standing next to Peter.

Dean looks at Sam. "Chris Barr's drowning. The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the sheriff."

"Bill and the sheriff, they were both involved with Peter." Sam concluded.

"What about Chris? My dad, what are you talking about?" Andrea asks.

Dean looks sideways, Lucas is staring out the window. Isabeau looks over to Lucas as well. "Lucas?" She asks.

"Lucas, what is it?" Dean asks.

Lucas opens the door and walks outside and everyone follows. "Lucas, honey?" Andrea calls out.

Lucas stops and looks at the ground, then up at Dean. "You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean tells Andrea.

Andrea pulls Lucas back to the house. Dean, Isabeau and Sam fetch shovels from the impala and they start digging. Sam's shovel clanks against something. They dig at the earth with their hands and pull out a red bicycle.

Isabeau lets out a shaky breath as she touches it. "Peter's bike."

"Who are you?"

Sam, Dean and Isabeau turn around to see Jake is there, pointing a gun at them.

Sam puts his hand up in defense as the three drop the bike. "Put the gun down, Jake."

"How did you know that was there?" Jake growls out.

"What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike? You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried." Dean says.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That's what the hell I'm talking about."

Andrea runs up to them. "Dad!"

"And now you got one seriously pissed-off spirit." Isabeau says.

"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them. And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does." Sam says to Jake.

Jake tilts his head. "Yeah, and how do you know that?"

"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton."

"Listen to yourselves, the three of you. You're insane." Jake accuses.

Dean shakes his head. "I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us. But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake."

"Dad, is any of this true?" Andrea asks.

"No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous." Jake lies to his daughter.

"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me."

Jake listens to her and looks at her. .

"Tell me you… you didn't kill anyone."

Jake looks away from Andrea, breathing heavily, confirming her accusation.

"Oh my God." Andrea breaths out.

Jake licked his lips, "Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned." He turned to Dean, Sam and Isabeau. "We let the body go, and it sank."

Isabeau glared at Jake, "How could you just let him go?" She lowly growled out. Dean turned to Isabeau, her fists were clenched so tightly that they were shaking.

Jake ignored Isabeau's comment. "Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, with Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational."

Dean turns away from Isabeau. "All right, listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now."

Andrea turns her head, gasping as she spots Lucas going down to the lake. Everyone turns to Lucas. In that moment, Isabeau felt like her heart stopped.

"Lucas!" Jake shouts.

Isabeau immediately takes off, everyone else just behind her. They all run up to the dock. Lucas is leaning over the side, reaching for a toy soldier in the water.

"Lucas!" Isabeau shouts.

"Lucas! Baby, stay where you are!" Andrea shouts as well.

A hand comes up and pulls Lucas into the water. Jake reaches the edge of the lake and stops. Isabeau, Dean and Sam keep running to the end of the dock. Isabeau rips off her jacket, tossing it aside and dives in. Sam and Dean follow her.

The cold water surrounds Isabeau, her eyes searching in the darkness that was the lake. She swims down deeper, trying to find Lucas. She turns back towards the surface, seeing Dean and Sam searching the waters.

She could feel her lungs begging for air, but she didn't head back towards the surface. Isabeau pushed her body further down, her vision becoming fuzzy, and could no longer hold in her breath.

Isabeau breathed out the air she kept trapped in her lungs, the water now replacing it. Burning, that's what she expected to feel, but she didn't. She blinked a couple of times, her vision going back to normal, her brow furrowed in confusion, she took a couple experimental breaths, realizing that she was breathing normally under the water.

Isabeau breaks from her thoughts, her eyes widening when she sees Lucas floating in the water. She swims over to Lucas, grabbing him around the waist.

Meanwhile above the water, Dean, Sam and Andrea watch Jake walk into the lake.

"Jake, no!" Dean shouts

"Just let it be over!" Jake says one last time before he is dragged down into the lake by Peter.

"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea yells out.

Dean and Sam look around, noticing that Isabeau hasn't come up for air yet. "Isabeau…" Dean whispers out.

Sam looks around, wide eyed. The brothers dive back down again. Trying to find Isabeau and Lucas.

They both come up, shaking their heads sadly. Andrea screams out in agony, thinking that Lucas was gone. Sam and Dean, look ready to scream themselves. Not only they couldn't find Lucas, they couldn't find Isabeau.

With a gasp, Isabeau breaks the surface of the water, holding an unresponsive Lucas in her arms.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam walk out of the motel. Dean opens the car door with a solemn look and Sam tosses a duffel in, Isabeau does the same with her own bag.

Sam notices and turns to him. "Look, we're not gonna save everybody."

Dean nods. "I know."

"Sam, Isabeau, Dean." Andrea walks up with Lucas, who is carrying a tray of sandwiches and a picture.

"Hey." Dean says and the three walk up to them. Isabeau smiles seeing Lucas, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road." Andrea gestured toward the sandwiches. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."

Lucas looks up at his mom, "Can I give it to them now?" Isabeau's smile brightened at Lucas's voice. She was happy that he was now talking.

"Of course." Andrea smiles and kisses Lucas's head.

"Come on, Lucas, let's load this into the car." Dean takes the tray of sandwiches from Lucas, but Lucas holds back the picture from him.

Isabeau shakes her head with a smile at Dean and Lucas, staying behind with Sam and Andrea. "How you holding up?" Sam asks.

Andrea looks at him, "It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?"

Isabeau sighs. "Andrea, I'm sorry."

Andrea shakes her head at Isabeau. "You saved my son. I can't ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that."

Sam places a hand on the small of Isabeau's back, rubbing it softly while looking at her. She looks up Sam, giving him a nod. Sam gives Andrea one last smile before walking off to Dean.

Isabeau sighs and Andrea lightly nudges Isabeau's shoulder with her own, giving Isabeau an all-knowing smirk. Isabeau gives her a confused smile. "What?"

Andrea juts her chin towards Sam and Dean. "I see the way you are with those two, especially the younger one."

Isabeau let out a laugh. "Yeah, um, Dean is quite the womanizer. Don't think I'll get through to him anytime soon. And I don't want to say anything to Sam, he just lost someone he loved."

Andrea shrugs. "It takes time. But I'm rooting for you. Can't help but be a little jealous."

Isabeau raised an eyebrow at her. "Of me?"

Andrea gives her a small smile with a hint of a smirk. "Them and you, but mostly jealous of them."

Isabeau 'ohed' at her and then smirked to herself. "That was unexpected."

The two women walk up to the car, Isabeau smiling as she sees Dean and Lucas high five and telling Lucas to take care of his mom.

Dean and Sam smile as the two walk up to the car. Andrea places her hand on the open car door. Giving Dean a smile, before turning to Isabeau, giving her a kiss on the lips. "Thank you."

Andrea pulls away and Isabeau thinks a minute, then scratches her head with a shy smile. Dean and Sam shift in their spots, surprised that Andrea kissed Isabeau instead of kissing Dean like they all thought.

Dean breathed out through his nose, giving a forced smile. Isabeau caught on to it, pressing her lips together, creating a small frown.

"Sam, Isabeau, move your ass. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road." Dean says, breaking the silence. Isabeau's frown went away and gave a smile to Andrea. Dean gets in the car, and then Sam.

Isabeau goes to get in the backseat but stops. Isabeau looks down, Lucas is tugging at her hand. "Hold on one second guys." Dean and Sam look over, seeing Lucas drag Isabeau a little ways away from the three. They smiled as she crouched down to Lucas's height, her smile stretched from ear to ear.

Sam's eyes softened at the display.

"She's always like that with kids?" Andrea asks.

Sam nods. "Isabeau has three little brothers. She's used to being around kids all the time. She's always happy around them."

Isabeau glances over at the others and turns back to Lucas. "What's going on Lucas?"

Lucas hands Isabeau the drawing that he's had in his hand. Isabeau takes it from him, smiling at the picture. It was a picture of Sam, herself and Dean, in that order, holding hands and a large heart surrounded them.

She looks up at Lucas, booping his nose. "Cheeky boy." Lucas gave her a smile and put out his pinky. "Our secret?"

Isabeau chuckled. It wasn't exactly a secret anymore since his mother knew. But she wouldn't tell Lucas that. She hooked her pinky around his. "Our secret." She unhooked her pinky and ruffled his head.

She grunted in surprise when Lucas jumped into her arms for a hug. She laughed, returning the hug. "Take care of yourself, Lucas."

Lucas nodded his head and the two pulled away from the hug. Isabeau got up from her crouched position and the two walked back over to the car. She gave Andrea a smile and slid into the backseat of the car, closing the door.

Dean starts the engine, the three of them smile at Andrea and Lucas, the two wave goodbye and the car drives off.

Isabeau smiles, rolling the window down, the air flinging her hair around.

"Beau…" Sam speaks up.

Isabeau hums at him. He turns to her, "You okay? Did that potion hurt you like we thought it would."

Isabeau says nothing, folding her arms on the window sill of the car, laying her head on them.

Sam sighed sadly. "You broke your promise."

Isabeau closed her eyes.

"She didn't." Dean interjects.

Sam turns to him, confused. "What?"

Dean reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out the potion that was never used. Dean looked at Isabeau in the rear view mirror. "You never drank it."

Silence settled in the car.

"What did you do? Another spell, a back-up potion. I swear to god, Beau, if you had a back up and it hurt you-"

"I never broke your guy's promise." Isabeau sighs. "No back-up, no other spell. What happened in that lake, I don't know myself. I was losing breath one second and the next… I could breath in the water like I was breathing air. I don't know how and I don't know why."

Isabeau pauses. "My powers are evolving. They always have, everyday."

"But, you're literal fire. You don't have any connection with water. What you did in the lake, it could've permanently damaged you, Beau." Sam explained.

"Well whatever is happening, we'll figure it out. Right, Beau?" Dean asks.

Isabeau bit her lip. "Yeah, right." She says softly. Isabeau pulls her legs into her chest, making herself small.

Dean and Sam glanced at each other. They knew Isabeau was scared. Whatever was happening to her, she didn't know. They were right, she shouldn't have been able to breath underwater without a spell. If anything, she should've sunk straight down to the bottom of that lake and that would've been the end.

The brothers were worried for their best friend, they rarely ever saw Isabeau this way. Confused, lost, scared of herself. They were going to help her find answers. Because if one thing was for certain; they would do anything for her, all because they loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I just wanted to let you know that from now on I'll try to update this story with both parts of the episode. I know most of you would probably prefer being able to read the episode in its entirety and not wait for the next part. Also it might be awhile, not too long maybe a week or two, till I update this story. Reason being, online classes are starting up for me and I want to at least get a couple episodes/chapters done so you guys have more to read. I do want to finish this story (season 1) by early mid-April, and then start on season 2.
> 
> I plan on taking this all the way through all 15 seasons just to let you guys know. (Even though I literally started writing this out of the blue for fun.) But I have a lot of ideas, some of them I would like to know your guys' input. So look out for notes like these. Anyway, I hope you guys are having fun reading this and forgive me for not being able to update for a couple of weeks. I'll repay you in many chapters!


	10. Phantom Traveler Pt.1

Isabeau hums in content as she shifts closer to Dean's sleeping form. Isabeau's body was naturally warm, but being close to another person's warmth was nice. Both Dean and Isabeau's legs were tangled together, Isabeau was encased in Dean's chest, his arms wrapped around her.

The blankets were tossed off to the side, Dean wearing a shirt and his boxers and Isabeau only wearing her black lace bra and underwear, and one of her plaid shirts that was unbuttoned. Isabeau never really cared if Dean and Sam saw her only in her under garments, she was never one for wearing clothing while in bed. Not to mention the boys never commented about it, so she didn't think they were uncomfortable with it.

Isabeau's eyes opened slowly, small rays of light flooding into the motel room. She looked at Dean's sleeping face and smiled. She closed her eyes, curling her head underneath Dean's chin and into his chest. It was Dean's night to share the bed with her and he was always a cuddler. That was another thing that the three did. Isabeau switched between Dean and Sam to share the motel beds with. It was sort of an unspoken agreement they've had since they were teenagers.

Isabeau hears the door open, Dean awakens, his eyes watching Isabeau's figure, and moving his arm that was under her to underneath the pillow, ready to pull out a weapon. The door slams and Dean turns quickly to look, causing Isabeau to open her eyes.

Isabeau looks over seeing Sam standing in the room with coffees and a bag of food. "Morning, sunshines." Sam says.

Dean groans. "What time is it?" Dean asks. Isabeau rubbed at her eyes, trying to fully wake up.

"Uh, it's about five forty-five." Sam answers.

"In the morning?" Dean asks.

"Yep." Sam confirms.

"Where does the day go?" Dean asks. Him and Isabeau untangle from their cuddling. Isabeau sits up, reaching for one of the cups in Sam's hands. He smiles softly at her, handing her a cup. Isabeau smiled as the smell of green tea wafted in her face.

"You're a saint, Sam. Thank you." Isabeau thanks Sam.

Dean sits up. "Did you get any sleep last night?" He asks.

"Yeah, I grabbed a couple hours." Sam says.

"Liar. 'Cause I was up at three, and you were watching a George Foreman infomercial."

Isabeau raised a brow at Sam's lie. She was passed out before both brothers around midnight. She technically didn't need the sleep but it felt wonderful. Sleep was a mistress that Isabeau would happily submit to any day of the week.

Dean swung around so he was sitting on the side of the bed, Isabeau did the same.

"Hey, what can I say? It's riveting TV." Sam holds his hands up in defense.

"When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, a little while, I guess. It's not a big deal." Sam says.

Isabeau gave him a look. "Yeah, it is. You won't even let me do aromatherapy on you anymore." She took a sip of her tea.

Dean pouted. "Now that's bad, you never turn that down."

"Look, I appreciate your concern-" Sam starts.

"Oh, I'm not concerned about you. It's your job to keep our asses alive, so I need you sharp."

Sam shrugs.

"Seriously, are you still having nightmares about Jess?" Dean asks. Isabeau frowns. That was the reason why Isabeau did aromatherapy on Sam. He came to her the night after Jess's death about the nightmares. That's when Isabeau insisted on helping him sleep and he came to her every night following, but recently he stopped. It worried the hell out of her.

With a sigh, Sam crosses the room, sits on the other bed, and hands a coffee to Dean. "Yeah. But it's not just her. It's everything. I just forgot, you know? This job. Man, it gets to you."

"You can't let it. You can't bring it home like that." Dean takes a sip of his coffee.

"So, what? All this it...never keeps you up at night?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head.

"Never? You're never afraid?"

"No, not really." Dean says.

Sam scoffs and reaches under Dean's pillow to pull out a large hunting knife and holds it up as evidence. Isabeau chokes on her tea in shock. "That was underneath my head?" She whispered out.

Dean glances at Isabeau and takes the knife back. "That's not fear. That is precaution."

"All right, whatever. I'm too tired to argue." Sam says. Isabeau rolls her eyes and switches over to Sam's side. "You wouldn't be so tired if you let me help you."

"Beau.."

"Don't 'Beau', me. Next motel stop, you are letting me help. Don't fight with me on this."

Dean's phone rings, breaking Isabeau and Sam's conversation and he answers it. "Hello?"

"Dean, it's, uh, it's Jerry Panowski. You and your dad helped me out a couple years back." Isabeau and Sam looked at Dean, chewing on their breakfast.

"Oh, right, yeah. Up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing. It's not back, is it?" Isabeau tilted her head at Dean's words.

"No. No. Thank god, no. But it's something else, and...uh, I think it could be a lot worse."

"What is it?" Dean asks.

"Can we talk in person?"

Dean eyes Sam, and Sam eyes back. Dean looks to Isabeau, she shrugs, taking a bite of her bagel.

"Yeah, sure. We'll be up there… See you then." Dean hangs up the phone.

Isabeau huffs, "Call dibs on the bathroom first, Dean." She wraps up her half un-eaten bagel and places back in the bag.

"Oh, come on!" Dean whines. Isabeau chuckles getting up from her spot, placing her tea on the table and grabbing a change of clothes from her bag. "Too bad, Winchester."

As she walks to the bathroom, Dean sips at his coffee, watching her. His eyes lowered down until they landed on her ass. "Dude."

Sam hisses out at Dean as Isabeau walks into the bathroom and closes the door. Dean raises a brow at Sam. "What?"

Sam gave him a bitch face. "Seriously? Checking out Beau?"

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, if you haven't noticed Sam, she grew into one hell of a woman. Strong, witty, and not to mention hot. Don't deny it."

"She's our best friend."

Dean pointed at Sam. "Ah, but you didn't deny that she's hot. I know she's our best friend, Sammy. Just being around her again is stirring up some old feelings."

Sam blinked in surprise. "Old feelings? You like Isabeau?"

Dean stared at Sam, not saying anything. They both knew the answer to that question. Sam groaned, rubbing his face. "I guess we're both screwed then." Sam says.

"Didn't expect that from you." Dean says.

Sam looked away. "I'm not ready, Dean. Not after losing Jess, not yet."

Both brothers sighed. "Then, when you're ready, we'll talk. I won't say anything to her." Dean states.

Sam chuckled. "I thought no chick-flick moments?"

Dean chuckled as well. "When it comes to Isabeau, chick-flick moments are accepted."

* * *

"Thanks for making the trip so quick. I ought to be doing you guys a favor, not the other way around. Dean and your dad really helped me out." Jerry says to Sam.

Isabeau walks just behind the three, listening to their conversation.

"Yeah, he told me. It was a poltergeist?" Sam asks, quickly glancing at Dean who was looking around.

"Poltergeist? Man, I loved that movie." A random worker commented as he passed by the group.

"Hey, nobody's talking to you. Keep walking. Damn right it was a poltergeist, practically tore our house apart. Tell you something, if it wasn't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't be alive. Your dad said you were off at college. Is that right?" Jerry asks.

"Yeah, I was. I'm… taking some time off." Sam answered.

"Well, he was real proud of you. I could tell. He talked about you all the time." Jerry told Sam.

"He did?" Sam asks, surprised. Isabeau smiled. Even when the boys and their father fought, John loved his two sons no matter what.

"Yeah, you bet he did. Oh, hey, you know I tried to get a hold of him, but I couldn't. How's he doing, anyway?" Jerry asks Dean.

"He's, um, wrapped up in a job right now." Dean answers.

"Well, we're missing the old man, but we get Sam. Even trade, huh?" Jerry says with a smile.

Dean laughs as Isabeau silently nods with a smile of her own.

"No, not by a long shot." Sam disagrees. Isabeau lightly punches Sam's arm at the comment.

Jerry looked back at Isabeau. "Not to mention we get the famous, Isabeau." Isabeau looked at Sam and Dean in confusion. Both brothers shrugged at her. How the hell did Jerry know about Isabeau.

Jerry, seeing Isabeau's confusion, explained further. "John told me about you. He talks about you like you're his own kid. But, he said you work with your family?"

Isabeau nodded. "Yeah, both my parents and my three younger brothers. All of us grew up in the uh, lifestyle." Isabeau explained to Jerry.

Jerry nodded at her. "I see. Anyways, I got something I want you guys to hear."

* * *

"I listened to this. And, well, it sounded like it was up your alley." Jerry says to Dean, putting a CD in a drive. Dean, Sam and Isabeau were sitting across from Jerry, waiting to be informed of the situation.

"Normally I wouldn't have access to this. It's the cockpit voice recorder for United Britannia flight 2485. It was one of ours." Jerry explains more before the recording plays.

"Mayday! Mayday! Repeat! This is United Britania 2485—immediate instruction help! United Britanis 2485, I copy your message—May be experiencing some mechanical failure…" The entire recording was crackling and the voices themselves were indistinct. There was a loud moan at the end of the recording.

Isabeau narrowed her eyes, looking over to Sam and Dean to see if they could make any sense of the recording. They were just as confused as she was.

"Took off from here, crashed about two hundred miles south." The three looked away from each other and back to Jerry.

"Now, they're saying mechanical failure. Cabin depressurized somehow. Nobody knows why. Over a hundred people on board. Only seven got out alive." Jerry explained and Dean's brow rose in surprise.

"Pilot was one. His name is Chuck Lambert. He's a good friend of mine. Chuck is, uh...well, he's pretty broken up about it. Like it was his fault." Jerry says.

"You don't think it was?" Sam asks.

Jerry shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Jerry, we're gonna need passenger manifests, um, a list of survivors." Sam starts listening off the things they need.

"And, uh, any way we can take a look at the wreckage?" Isabeau adds in. If she could see or touch the wreckage, it could then figure out what they were dealing with.

"The other stuff is no problem. But the wreckage...fellas, the NTSB has it locked down in an evidence warehouse. No way I've got that kind of clearance." Jerry says.

Dean frowns, "No problem."

* * *

Sam and Isabeau are waiting by the car outside a Copy Jack. Isabeau is on the phone, leaning against the impala, next to Sam. "Hey, Olivia. What's up?"

Sam tilted his head at Isabeau, curious to who Olivia was.

The voice of a woman responded from the other line. "Nothing much. Just calling to check in on you. Everyone at the house misses you. We heard you picked up hunting with Sam and Dean."

Isabeau chuckled. "I miss you guys too. And yeah, the three of us have been hunting since I left home. Hope you don't mind that they stole me away from you girls."

Olivia laughed through the phone. "Oh, some of the girls are a little pissed. That's only because we all didn't have our bonding session before you left."

Isabeau's cheeks turned a little red. "I'm sure they can find a way to release their frustrations. Besides, we can go a while without it. If they get desperate, I'm sure I can take a quick trip."

"You might have to. We miss our leader." Olivia teases.

Isabeau rolls her eyes. "Drop the title."

"What?! It's true!"

Isabeau chuckled. "Not that I don't love the phone call, but…"

Olivia groaned, "But you're on a hunt and you need to focus. Yeah, I get it." Olivia paused. "Have fun with your lover boys."

"Oh, fuck you!" Isabeau laughed out.

"Oh, honey, I'm waiting for it. Come home soon!" With that, Olivia hung up and Isabeau shook her head in disbelief, shoving her phone into her pocket.

"Friend?" Sam asks with a smile.

Isabeau nods. "Yeah. Olivia's a hybrid as well. We've hunted together since the end of middle school."

Sam nods his head. "There are other hybrids out there? What kind?"

"There's a lot of us actually. We've all found each other in middle school; been friends ever since. All of us are half witches and the other half is a different supernatural being. Everyone of one of them hunts back home." Isabeau explains to Sam about the newly found knowledge of there being other hybrids apart from her.

As Dean exits the Copy Jack, an attractive woman enters, catching his attention.

"Hey" The woman says.

"Hi." Dean says with a smile.

Isabeau rolls her eyes as Sam raises his hands up, "You've been in there forever."

Dean holds up three IDs, "You can't rush perfection."

Isabeau sees what is on the IDs, "Homeland Security?" Isabeau takes her ID, looking at it closely.

Sam takes his own ID, "That's pretty illegal, even for us."

Dean nods with a smile, "Yeah, well, it's something new. You know? People haven't seen it a thousand times." Dean walks over the drivers side and gets in. Sam and Isabeau follow suit; Sam getting into the passenger seat and Isabeau sliding into the back seat.

"All right, so, what do you got?" Dean asks.

"Well, there's definitely EVP on the cockpit voice recorder." Sam answers.

"Yeah?"

"Listen." Sam plays the tape, which has been edited on his computer to pull out a scratchy voice.

"No survivors!" The voice exclaims.

"No survivors"? What's that supposed to mean? There were seven survivors." Dean asks, confused.

Isabeau shakes her head. "Got me stumped."

"So, what are you two thinking? A haunted flight?" Dean asks as Isabeau leans forward, leaning on the front seat.

"There's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships, like phantom travelers." Sam explains.

"Mm-hmm." Dean hums, considering Sam's theory.

Isabeau continues, "Or remember flight 401?"

Dean looks at Isabeau, "Right. The one that crashed, the airline salvaged some of its parts, put it in other planes, then the spirit of the pilot and copilot haunted those flights."

Isabeau snapped her fingers. "Correctomundo."

"Yep." Dean agrees.

"Maybe we got a similar deal." Sam says.

"All right, so, survivors, which one do you want to talk to first?" Dean asks and pulls out the list of the seven survivors that Jerry gave them.

Sam leans over, pointing at the list. "Third on the list: Max Jaffey."

"Why him?"

Well, for one, he's from around here. And two, if anyone saw anything weird, he did." Sam explains.

Dean looks over at Sam. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I spoke to his mother."

"And she told us where to find him." Isabeau finished.

* * *

The Impala is parked in front of the gate to a building with a sign out front reading Riverfront Psychiatric Hospital, while Dean, Sam and Isabeau were in the hospital's garden talking to Max.

Max is walking with a cane between Sam and Dean, and Isabeau is walking beside Dean.

"I don't understand. I already spoke with Homeland Security." Max states.

"Right. Some new information has come up. So if you could just answer a couple questions…" Dean trails off.

"Just before the plane went down, did you notice anything...unusual?" Sam inquires.

"Like what?" Max asks.

"Strange lights, weird noises, maybe... voices." Isabeau lists off things that Max could've possibly seen or heard.

Max turns to Isabeau. "No, nothing." He looks away.

"Mr. Joffey—" Dean starts.

"Jaffey." Max corrects him. The four sit down in the chairs that were placed in the gardens, all of them surrounding a table.

"Jaffey. You checked yourself in here, right?" Dean says Max's name correctly and continues to ask.

Max nods at Dean.

"Can I ask why?" Dean questions.

"I was a little _stressed._ I survived a plane crash." Max says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh huh. And that's what terrified you? That's what you were afraid of?"

"I...I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Isabeau and Sam look on as Dean pries more. "See, I think maybe you did see something up there. We need to know what."

Max kisses his teeth, "No. No, I was...delusional. Seeing things."

Dean turns to Sam and Isabeau, "He was seeing things."

Sam tilts his head and gives Dean a look, before looking to Max, "It's okay. Then just tell us what you thought you saw, please."

"There was...this-man. And, uh, he had these...eyes-these, uh...black eyes." Isabeau tensed at Max's words, reaching out to Dean's knee. Dean glanced at her, reaching down to place his hand over her own and looked back at Max. "

"And I saw him-or I thought I saw him…" Max pauses in thought.

"What?" Dean urges Max to continue, squeezing Isabeau's hand under the table.

Max sighs, "He opened the emergency exit." Dean blinked in surprise. "But that's...that's impossible, right? I mean, I looked it up. There's something like two tons of pressure on that door."

Isabeau licked her lips, not really knowing how to respond, "Yeah."

"This man, uh, did he seem to appear and disappear rapidly? It would look something like a mirage?" Sam asks.

"What are you, nuts?" Max looks at him in disbelief.

Sam tilts his head and blinks.

"He was a passenger. He was sitting right in front of me." Max says.

Sam looks to Dean and Isabeau. Dean purses his lips and Isabeau sighs.

* * *

The impala pulls up in front of a house. "So here we are. George Phelps, seat 20C." Sam says.

All three of them look towards the house. "Hmm. Man, I don't care how strong you are." Dean says.

Dean, Sam and Isabeau get out of the car, closing the doors.

"Even yoked up on PCP or something, no way you can open up an emergency door during a flight." Dean leans against the impala.

"Not if you're human. But maybe this guy George was something else. Some kind of creature, maybe, in human form." Sam turns to Dean and both brothers look at Isabeau.

Isabeau shrugs. "Some creatures do take human form to blend in."

"Does that look like a creature's lair to you?" Dean points to the house.

Sam turns to look at the perfectly ordinary house.

Isabeau sighs, "You never know."

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam sit across from Mrs. Phelps. Sam picks up a framed photograph. "This is your late husband?"

Mrs. Phelps nods her head, "Yes, that was my George."

"And you said he was a...dentist?" Dean points to the photo.

"Mm-hm." Mrs. Phelps confirms. "He was headed to a convention in Denver. Do you know that he was petrified to fly? For him to go like that…" Mrs. Phelps was holding back tears.

"How long were you married?" Isabeau crosses her legs.

Mrs. Phelps smiles softly, "Thirteen years." Isabeau gave her soft smile of her own. Being married for that long, Isabeau could only dream of being with someone for so long.

"In all that time, did you ever notice anything...strange about him, anything out of the ordinary?" Sam asks.

"Well…uh, he had acid reflux, if that's what you mean."

Dean and Sam look at each other. Isabeau rubs a hand over her mouth. It wasn't the answer that any of them were looking for.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean walk down the stairs out front of the house.

"I mean it goes without saying. It just doesn't make any sense." Sam concludes

"A middle-aged dentist with an ulcer is not exactly evil personified. You know what we need to do is get inside that NTSB warehouse, check out the wreckage." Dean says.

Isabeau smiles, turning toward the brothers, "Okay. But if we're gonna go that route, we'd better look the part."

* * *

Isabeau stands next to the impala outside of the store, "Mort's for Style", waiting for Sam and Dean to exit. Isabeau was now dressed in a slate grey button up shirt with a couple of the buttons undone, a black blazer, black dress pants, and black heeled ankle boots.

She didn't bother putting her hair into any fancy style, just having it loose was fine. She also put away her accessories, leaving her wrist and fingers feeling empty. She already had an ensemble of suits packed in her bags from previous hunts.

Dean and Sam exit the store, wearing crisp black suits with white shirts. Isabeau smirks at the two, appreciating the fact that they looked absolutely smoking hot in suits.

Dean looks down at himself in distaste, "Man, I look like one of the Blues Brothers."

Sam adjusts his collar. "No, you don't. You look more like a...seventh-grader at his first dance." He teases Dean.

Dean looks down at himself again. "I hate this thing."

"I like it." Isabeau walks up to them, smiling brightly at the two. Both brothers stop to take Isabeau's new appearance. Never once had either of them seen Isabeau anything remotely dressy, and the heels were also a nice surprise for them.

Dean couldn't help but rake his eyes up and down Isabeau's body, letting out a low whistle. Sam was also looking at every inch of Isabeau, but was better at being discreet about it.

Isabeau's smile widened even more when she realized that they were both checking her out. She turns to Dean, fixing his tie. "I would be lucky to be the date to your first dance." She teases Dean, bringing up Sam's joke.

Dean gave her a confident smirk, "I'd be the lucky one, sweetheart. Though I did expect a skirt."

Isabeau scoffs, patting his chest, "The day I wear a skirt is the day I go insane." She turns to Sam, "Have I told you that I like you in a suit and tie, Stretch?"

Sam licks his lips, not expecting the question. "No?"

Isabeau smirks, "Well, I guess I better say it more often. Come on you two, we want to get into that warehouse, right?" Isabeau walks away, leaving the brothers behind and sliding into the back seat of the impala.

Sam and Dean look at each other. "She's going to be the death of me." Dean simply states.

"You and me, both." Sam agrees.

* * *

They enter the warehouse and show their badges to the security guard, who nods and lets them in. They walk among plane wreckage; Dean pulls out a device and puts earbuds in his ears.

"What is that?" Sam asks.

"It's an EMF meter. Reads electromagnetic frequencies." Dean answers.

"Yeah, I know what an EMF meter is, but why does that one look like a busted-up walkman?"

"'Cause that's what I made it out of. It's homemade." Dean grins, proud of his work. Isabeau purses her lips, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, I can see that." Sam says sarcastically. Dean's grin falls, frowning at Sam.

Dean runs the EMF meter over pieces of the wreckage, Isabeau follows suit with ghosting her hands over the materials. Nothing so far.

Dean comes to a piece that was the emergency door handle to the plane, the EMF meter clicking rapidly over the piece that was covered in yellow dust. "Check out the emergency door handle."

Dean puts away the EMF meter and scratches at the yellow dust, getting some on his hand. "What is this stuff?"

"One way to find out." Sam scrapes some of the yellow dust into a bag with his pocket knife.

Dean gestures Isabeau to the handle. "You're up hot stuff."

Isabeau reaches her hand up to the handle, grasping it in her hand. She frowns, no images filling her vision whatsoever. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Sam asks, placing the bag in his pocket.

Isabeau shrugs, "Nothing. This new power isn't always consistent."

Dean rubs her shoulder, "It's okay. Can't always rely on it."

The sound of a door banging open draws their attention away from the evidence. "I think we have company heading our way, boys."

Dean nodded, and all three of them headed out one of the back doors just before two agents and several security guards burst in with their guns drawn.

They make it outside, Sam, Isabeau and Dean peer around a corner and walk out casually. An alarm blares, and they run to the gated exit. Pulling off his suit jacket, Dean throws it over the barbed wire at the top of the fence, and Dean and Sam climb over.

Isabeau follows suit, pushing off from the ground, and jumping over the fence without even touching it and landing perfectly on her feet. Sam and Dean look at her in surprise. "Thank god for gymnastics." She tells them.

Dean grabs his jacket with a smile. "Well, these monkey suits do come in handy."

Dean runs off with Isabeau and Sam follows the two.

* * *

The three were back in Jerry's office, still in their suits. Isabeau took off her blazer, rolled up the sleeves of her button up to her elbows and put her jewelry back on. None of them had time to change, but god be damned if Isabeau went another minute without her accessories.

Jerry looks at the yellow stuff through a microscope; what the microscope sees is replicated on a screen. "Huh. This stuff is covered in sulfur." Isabeau bit her lip at the information, she already knew what they were dealing with, but she didn't want to say anything. I would cause too many questions that she couldn't answer.

"You're sure?" Sam asks.

"Take a look for yourself." Jerry moves away as banging sounds are heard from outside the office.

"You effin' piece of crap…" A man shouted in the distance. The noises were coming from him.

"If you fellows will excuse me, I have an idiot to fire." Jerry says, leaving the office. As he leaves, Dean goes over and looks into the microscope.

"Hey. Einstein. Yeah, you. What the heck you doing? Put the wrench down—" Isabeau slightly chuckles as she hears Jerry scolding a random worker.

"Hmm. You know, there's not too many things that leave behind a sulfuric residue." Dean implies.

"Demonic possession." Isabeau states. Both of them look at her. Isabeau shrugs in response.

Dean purses his lips. "It would explain how a mortal man would have the strength to open up an emergency hatch."

"If the guy was possessed, it's possible." Sam shrugs.

"Yeah, but, this goes way beyond floating over a bed or barfing pea soup. I mean it's one thing to possess a person, but to use them to take down an entire airplane?" Dean stands straight, hands on his hips.

"You ever heard of something like this before?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head. "Never."

Both of them look at her. Isabeau shrugs in response. "Dealt with a few back in college. That's why I reacted the way I did when we talked to Max when he said the black eyes; I already had a hunch on what we were dealing with."

A knock on Jerry's office door made the three look away from each other and to the source. Standing in the doorway was a woman around Isabeau's age. She had strawberry blonde hair that was pulled into a messy bun, freckles covered her entire face and had bright green eyes. The woman smiled at Isabeau.

"Heya, Isa."

Isabeau smiled. "Olivia."

* * *

The four headed back to their motel room. Dean and Sam were at first hesitant with Olivia tagging along, but once Isabeau told Dean and reminded Sam that Olivia was hunter like them, they let her come with them.

Sam,Isabeau and Dean also changed back into their regular clothing. Isabeau was beyond happy to back in her regular clothing. It's nice to dress nice once in while, even if it's for undercover, but comfort always won over fashion.

All four of them were in full research mode, with images and articles taped to the walls and strewn across the beds, Sam is looking at something on the computer and Dean is reading something on one bed while sitting on the other.

Isabeau and Olivia are searching through Isabeau's books on the floor. Each of them passing notes to each other silently, working together perfectly without even talking to one another.

"So, every religion in every world culture has the concept of demons and demonic possession, right? I mean Christian, Native American, Hindu, you name it." Sam lists off everything he found.

"Yeah, but none of them describe anything like this." Dean counters.

"Well, that's not exactly true." Olivia speaks up, both girls getting up from their spots. Isabeau sits at the table across from Sam and Olivia stands behind Isabeau, her hands resting on the back of her chair.

"You see according to Japanese beliefs, certain demons are behind certain disasters, both natural and man-made. One causes earthquakes, another causes disease." Olivia continues.

"And this one causes plane crashes?" Dean questions Olivia.

Olivia stares blankly at Dean, her hands moving to Isabeau's shoulders, squeezing them lightly. Dean's gaze lands on the interaction, his hand clenching and unclenching into a fist and gets up with a huff.

Sam observes the girls as well. They were awfully close and touchy together.

Isabeau notices the boy's reactions and looks away, one of her hands reaching up to land on top of one of Olivia's.

"All right, so, what? We have a demon that's evolved with the times and found a way to ratchet up the body count?" Dean walks toward them.

Sam sighs, "Yeah. You know, who knows how many planes it's brought down before this one?"

Dean snorts, turning away.

"What?" Sam asks.

Dean scratches the back of his head, turning back toward them. "I don't know, man. This isn't our normal gig. I mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake."

Isabeau looks up at Olivia, both of them giving the other a knowing look. The two knew so much more than Sam and Dean knew.

"This is big. And I wish Dad was here." Dean admits.

"Yeah. Me too." Sam agrees.

"Not normal for you…" Isabeau starts.

"What?" Dean asks.

Isabeau sighs. "Demons… as I said, came across a few in college. I still hunted, and I hunted things that not even you guys or John has seen yet. It wasn't all sunshine and daisies, Dean."

Olivia smiles sadly at Isabeau, reaching with her free hand to push back a few stray hairs behind her ear. "College wasn't easy for any of us, Isa."

Sam furrowed his brow at Olivia's gesture. He thought it was quite intimate. He just assumed that the two of them were friends, I mean that's what she told them. Was she lying? If she was; why?

Dean's phone rings, and he answers it. "Hello?"

"Dean, it's Jerry."

"Oh, hey, Jerry." Dean greets.

"My pilot friend...Chuck Lambert is dead." Jerry's voice slightly breaks at the end.

"Wha—Jerry, I'm sorry. What happened?" Dean stutters out, his face full of shock.

"He and his buddy went up in a small twin about an hour ago. The plane went down." Jerry answers.

"Where'd this happen?"

"About sixty miles west of here, near Nazareth."

Dean blinks. "I'll try to ignore the irony in that."

"I'm sorry?"

Dean shakes his head. "Nothing. Jerry, hang in there, all right? We'll catch up with you soon." Dean hangs up.

Sam looks over, "Another crash?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Where?"

"Nazareth." Dean answers.

Olivia moves her hands away from Isabeau and claps them together. "That's my cue to leave. It was nice to finally meet you both." Olivia says to Sam and Dean.

Dean gives Olivia a smug smile. "Isabeau talks about us?"

Isabeau rolls her eyes, throwing Dean a look.

Olivia chuckles. "Well I mean, yeah. You guys were her best friends first." Olivia looks at Isabeau. "Send me off?"

Isabeau gets up and swings her arm around Olivia's shoulder with a smile. "Of course. Wait here a minute?" She asks Sam and Dean to give them a couple minutes alone outside.

Sam nods. "No problem."

Olivia and Isabeau walk outside the motel and stop in the middle of the parking lot. "I approve." Olivia states.

Isabeau scoffs at Olivia. "Really? You approve?"

"Have you seen them? They are literally eye candy. Plus, they seem good enough for our beautiful leader."

"You are never going to stop with that title, are you?" Isabeau asks, removing her arm from Olivia's shoulder and the two now facing each other.

Olivia shrugs. "Even if it isn't official, Isa. Deal with it."

"But I'll deal with your bullshit all the time. Can I get a pass?"

Olivia rolls her eyes and playfully shoves Isabeau, causing the two to laugh. "I am warning you though, if you aren't coming home anytime soon, expect visits from all of us at one point or another."

Isabeau nods her head. "I'll keep that in mind… Be good?"

Olivia smirks, her eyes turning into an ink black. "Honey, I'm half demon. I'll be less of a pain in the ass than usual."

Isabeau's eyes turned into a fiery orange in response to Olivia. "I'd expect nothing less."

The two laugh and come together for a tight hug. "Be safe." Isabeau says as the two pull away, both of their eyes back to normal.

Olivia gave Isabeau a two finger salute before disappearing into thin air, leaving Isabeau alone.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Always dramatic."

Isabeau looks back at the motel, sighing to herself. One day she would tell them. One day she will tell Sam and Dean that some of her best friends are half demons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for being gone for so long! Things have been crazy and online schooling didn't go so well for me to the point I had to take medical leave. I've been spending the past couple of weeks taking care of myself and my mental health so I can come back to this at my best. 
> 
> I will be posting part 2 to Phantom Traveler sometime tomorrow night. (it's almost 3 in the morning so like in 12 hours or a little more it will be posted) This will also be the last time I publish parts separately, I will posting everything all at once after part two to this episode. And hopefully at least two weekly updates as well. 


	11. Phantom Traveler Pt.2

The three headed back to Jerry's office after Olivia left. Jerry is once again looking through a microscope.

"Sulfur?" Dean asks beside Jerry; he nods.

"Well, that's great." Dean turns around to Sam and Isabeau. Sam was sitting in one of the chairs and Isabeau was standing beside him. "All right, that's two plane crashes involving Chuck Lambert. This demon sounds like it was after him."

"With all due respect to Chuck," Sam sighs, "if that's the case, that would be the good news."

"What's the bad news?"

"Chuck's plane went down exactly forty minutes into flight. And get this, so did flight 2485." Sam concluded.

"Forty minutes? What does that mean?" Jerry asks.

 _Forty minutes…_ Those words rang throughout Isabeau's ears, her vision becoming blurry. Closing her eyes, Isabeau gasped; _she saw Chuck Lambert asking his copilot how long they were in the air for. His copilot responded saying 40 minutes and with that, Chuck suddenly dives the plane towards the ground._

Isabeau opened her eyes once the vision stopped. Her head was throbbing and her vision was still blurry. "Woah." Isabeau stumbled, grabbing onto Jerry's desk to keep her steady.

"Woah, woah. Hey. Beau, you okay?" Dean rushes over, taking Isabeau's arm and guiding her to a chair.

Isabeau nods, blinking slowly, "The vision just hit me hard. Feels like someone took a sledgehammer to my head."

Sam presses the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're burning up." Isabeau grasped Sam's hand, pulling it away.

"I'm fine, give me some ibuprofen and I'll be back on my feet." Isabeau says.

Dean's jaw clenches, his hand resting on her shoulder and responds to Jerry, "It's biblical numerology. You know Noah's ark, it rained for forty days."

"The number means death." Isabeau spoke up, rubbing her eyes to get some of her sight back.

"I went back, and there have been six plane crashes over the last decade that all went down exactly forty minutes in." Sam told them of his findings.

"Any survivors?" Dean asks.

Sam shakes his head, "No. Or not until now, at least, not until flight 2485, for some reason. On the cockpit voice recorder, remember what the EVP Said?"

'"No survivors."' Dean repeated from what was on the EVP. `

Dean thinks it over for a moment, "It's going after all the survivors. It's trying to finish the job."

* * *

The day passed into night and the three were on the road, Dean is driving and Sam is on the phone. Isabeau sits in the back and her headache is gone.

"Really?" Sam glances at Dean. "Well, thank you for taking our survey, And if you do plan to fly, please don't forget your friends at United Britannia Airlines. Thanks." Sam hangs up his phone.

Sam pulls out the list of survivors, "All right. That takes care of Blaine Sanderson and Dennis Holloway. They're not flying anytime soon."

"So our only wildcard is the flight attendant Amanda Walker." Dean says.

"Right. Her sister Karen said her flight leaves Indianapolis at eight pm. It's her first night back on the job." Sam says.

"That sounds like just our luck."

"Dean," Isabeau speaks up, "this is a five-hour drive, even with you behind the wheel."

"Why don't you call Amanda's cell phone again, see if we can't head her off at the pass." Dean ignores Isabeau's comment and orders Sam on what to do.

Isabeau gives Dean a look and crosses her arms.

Sam scratches his head.,"I already left her three voice messages. She must have turned her cellphone off."

"God," Sam puts his hand down in defeat, "we're never gonna make it."

"Oh, we'll make it."

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam rush into the airport and check the Departure board.

Sam points at the board, "Right there. They're boarding in thirty minutes."

"Okay. We still have some cards to play. We need to find a phone." Dean says, running to pick up a courtesy phone. Isabeau and Sam follow him.

"Airport Services." The voice on the line answers.

"Hi. Gate thirteen." Dean requests.

"Who are you calling, sir?"

"I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on flight, um…" Dean trails off, not remembering the flight number.

"4-2-4." Isabeau whispers to him.

"Flight 4-2-4." Dean repeats.

They wait a couple of seconds, listening to the P.A. system call for Amanda.

"Come on." Dean says, impatient.

"This is Amanda Walker." Amanda picks up the line.

"Miss Walker. Hi, this is Dr. James Hetfield from St. Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here." Dean lies about his identity to Amanda.

"Karen?"

Dean turns away from Sam and Isabeau, Sam practically hanging off of Dean's shoulder, "Nothing serious, just a minor car accident, but she was injured, so-"

"Wa—wait, that's impossible. I just got off the phone with her."

Dean pauses, "You what?" Isabeau rolls her eyes, face palming.

"Five minutes ago. She's at her house, cramming for a final. Who is this?"

Dean forces a smile, "Uh, well...there must be some mistake." Dean turns back to Isabeau, Sam following Dean's movements, listening in on the conversation.

"And how would you even know I was here?" Amanda pauses, "Is this one of Vince's friends?"

Isabeau gestured with her hands to keep going, "Play along." She whispers.

Dean shrugged with a grin, "Guilty as charged." He chuckles.

"Wow. This is unbelievable."

"He's really sorry." Dean frowns at Isabeau and Sam, trying his best.

"Well, you tell him to mind his own business and stay out of my life, okay?"

"Yes, but...he really needs to see you tonight, so-" Dean trails off.

"No, I'm sorry. It's too late."

"Don't be like that. Come on. The guy's a mess. Really. It's pathetic." Dean stutters out a string of words that seemed to make sense. Isabeau had to cough into her arm to cover up a bubbling laugh.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah." Dean affirms.

"Look, I've got to go. Um...tell him to call me when I land." Amanda hangs up.

"No, no. Wait, Amanda. Amanda!" Dean exclaims. He sighs putting the phone back in its place.

Dean walks away, "Damn it! So close."

"All right, it's time for plan B. We're getting on that plane." Sam shrugs, knowing it was the only way to finish this.

Dean's eyes widen in fear, "Whoa, whoa, now just hold on a second." Dean puts his hand out.

"Dean, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board, and if we're right, that plane is gonna crash." Sam whispers out the last part as not to attract any attention.

"I know." Isabeau didn't know if it was possible or not, but she swore that his eyes widened even more. Her shoulders sagged, she knew exactly why Dean was acting this way.

"Okay. So we're getting on the plane, we need to find that demon and exorcise it. I'll get the tickets. You get whatever you can out of the trunk. Whatever that will make it through the security. Meet me back here in five minutes." Sam orders.

But Dean doesn't move and just looks at him anxiously.

"Are you okay?" Sam asks, worried about his brother's behavior.

"No, not really." Dean's voice went an octave higher.

Sam spread his arms, "What? What's wrong?"

Dean grimaced, "Well, I kind of have this problem with, uh…" Dean waved his hand and let out a deep sigh.

"Flying?" Sam guessed.

"He has Aerophobia." Isabeau states. Dean and Sam blink at her.

Isabeau jutted her head out, "The fear of flying."

"It's never really been an issue until now." Dean says shakily.

"You're joking, right?" Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Dean threw his hands down, his brow furrowed, "Do I look like I'm joking? Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?"

Sam stutters, "All right. Uh, We'll go." Sam reaches down, grabbing Isabeau's hand in his own.

Dean's eyebrows shot up to his hair, "What?"

"We'll do this one on our own." Sam restates.

"What are you, nuts? You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash. Beau!" Dean looks to Isabeau for support.

Isabeau's eyes widen, "Dean, we can do it together, or Sam and I can do this one by ourselves. I'm not seeing a third option, here."

Dean looks back and forth between Sam and Isabeau, "Come on! Really? Man…"

* * *

The three got on the plane, Dean sat on the outer aisle, Isabeau in the middle and Sam having the window seat.

"Flight attendants, please cross-check doors before departure." The pilot says over the intercom as the plane begins to go.

Dean is anxiously reading the safety card.

"Just try to relax." Sam tells Dean.

"Just try to shut up." Dean counters. Sam smiles, reveling at Dean's misfortune. Isabeau shakes her head, lightly kicking Sam's foot.

The plane takes off, Dean jumping at every rumble and sound. Sam smirks and Isabeau reaches over, intertwining their fingers together, her thumb caressing his hand. Dean looks over, his eyes meeting Isabeau's gaze.

"I got you." Isabeau whispers.

Dean couldn't help but smile softly at her, "I know you do."

* * *

Time passes and Dean is leaning back, humming to himself ,his hand occasionally squeezing Isabeau's.

Sam looks over. "You're humming Metallica?"

"Calms me down." Dean immediately answers.

Sam huffs, shaking his head, "Look, man, I get you're nervous, all right? But you got to stay focused."

"Okay."

Sam looks down at his watch, "I mean, we got thirty-two minutes and counting to track this thing down, or whoever it's possessing, anyway, and perform a full-on exorcism."

"Yeah, on a crowded plane. That's gonna be easy." Dean says.

"Just take it one step at a time, all right? Now, who is it possessing?" Sam asks Dean and Isabeau.

"It's usually gonna be somebody with some sort of weakness, you know, a chink in the armor that the demon can worm through. Somebody with an addiction or some sort of emotional distress." Isabeau explains.

"Well, this is Amanda's first flight after the crash. If I were her, I'd be pretty messed up." Sam pointed her out as a possible candidate for demonic possession.

"Mm-hm." Dean hums in agreement and turns to a flight attendant, "Excuse me. Are you Amanda?"

The flight attendant shakes her head with a kind smile, "No, I'm not."

"Oh, my mistake." Dean gives her an apologetic smile and she walks away.

Dean looks to the back of the plane to another flight attendant that had to be Amanda, "All right, well, that's got to be Amanda back there, so I'll go talk to her, and, uh, I'll get a read on her mental state."

"Right. What if she's already possessed?" Sam asks.

"There's ways to test that." Dean goes into his bag and comes out with a Virgin Mary-shaped bottle of water and holds it up. "I brought holy water."

"No." Isabeau immediately snatches it out of Dean's hands, tucking it into the inside of her jacket. "I think we can go more subtle. If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God."

Dean points at her, "Oh. Nice." Dean unbuckles the seat belt and turns to go.

"Hey." Sam calls out to Dean.

Dean turns back, "What?"

"Say it in Latin." Sam reminds him. Isabeau places two fingers to her temple, rubbing it in slow motions.

"I know." Dean turns to leave again.

"Okay. Hey!" Sam calls Dean back again. Isabeau's eyes widened, she was going to punch Sam in about ten seconds if he didn't stop.

"What?!" Dean grunts out.

"Uh, in Latin, it's "Christo"."

"Dude, I know! I'm not an idiot!" Dean scolded Sam, fed up with Sam's constant reminding.

Dean makes his way to the back of the plane, thumping a seat once after the plane shakes. Isabeau shakes her head and looks at Sam, "I swear you two are going to drive me absolutely insane." She chuckles to herself, leaning back, waiting for Dean to return.

"You and Olivia…" Sam starts, not knowing how to ask his question without it seeming awkward.

Isabeau chuckles. "I know where you're going with that and all I can say as of right now, is that I will explain who Olivia is to me later."

Sam presses his lips into a thin line, not wanting to cross a line.

Isabeau patted his thigh, "Though I will say that we are not together."

Sam furrowed his brow, "You're not?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, again, tell you and Dean later. Don't want you guys thinking that my sweet ass is taken."

* * *

Dean returns to his seat. "All right, well, she's got to be the most well-adjusted person on the planet."

"You said "Christo"?" Isabeau asks.

"Yeah."

"And?"

Dean shakes his head, "There's no demon in her. There's no demon getting in her."

Sam sighs, "So, if it's on the plane, it can be anyone. Anywhere."

The plane shakes. Dean instinctively leans back and grabs Isabeau's hand in a vice grip, "Come on! That can't be normal!"

"Hey, hey, it's just a little turbulence." Sam tries to calm Dean down.

Dean glares at Sam, "Sam, this plane is going to crash, okay? So quit treating me like I'm friggin' four."

"You need to calm down."

"Well, I'm sorry I can't." Dean counters.

"Yes, you can." Sam says softly.

"Dude, stow the touchy-feely, self-help yoga crap, it's not helping."

Isabeau turns her body toward Dean, "Listen, if you're panicked, you're wide open to demonic possession, so you need to calm yourself down. Right now." Isabeau squeezes Dean's hand, hoping to calm him down just a little bit.

Dean takes a long, slow breath.

"Good. Now, Sam found an exorcism in John's journal that I think is gonna work. The Rituale Romanum." Isabeau explains to Dean.

"What do we have to do?" Dean asks.

"It's two parts. The first part expels the demon from the victim's body. It makes it manifest, which actually makes it more powerful." Sam explains the exorcism.

Dean's eye shifts between Sam and the journal, "More powerful?"

"Yeah." Sam confirms.

"How?"

"Well, it doesn't need to possess someone anymore. It can just wreak havoc on its own."

"Oh. And why is that a good thing?" Dean asks.

"Well, because the second part sends the bastard back to hell once and for all." Sam says.

"First things first, we got to find it." Isabeau says, releasing her hand from Dean's.

Dean gets up and walks slowly up the aisle from the back of the plane to the front, with his EMF meter, getting odd looks but no readings. Isabeau comes up and claps him on the shoulder, and he jumps.

"Ah! Don't do that." Dean scolds Isabeau.

"Anything?" Sam asks from behind Isabeau, his chest pressed up against her back.

"No, nothing. How much time we got?"

Sam looks down at his watch, "Fifteen minutes. Maybe we missed somebody."

"Maybe the thing's just not on the plane." Dean suggests.

"You believe that?" Sam shakes his head in disbelief.

"Well, I will if you will."

Suddenly a shiver ran down Isabeau's spine, and her chest felt tight. Dean looks down as the EMF meter spikes and looks up to see who it was responding to. The copilot exits the bathroom and heads towards the cockpit.

"What? What is it?"

Isabeau knew exactly where the demon was, "Christo."

The copilot turns slowly to face them; his eyes are black. He goes into the cockpit and Dean looks at Sam and Isabeau.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean head to the back of the plane towards Amanda. "She's not gonna believe this."

"Twelve minutes, dude." Dean reminds him.

The three stop in the back of the plane and Amanda turns around with a smile, "Oh, hi. Flight's not too bumpy for you, I hope."

"Actually, that's kind of what we need to talk to you about." Dean says as Sam closes the curtain.

Amanda shrugs, "Um, okay. What can I do for you?"

"All right, this is gonna sound nuts, but we just don't have time for the whole "the truth is out there" speech right now."

"All right, look, we know you were on flight 2485." Sam interrupts Dean.

Amanda's smile disappears. "Who are you guys?"

"Now, we've spoken to some of the other survivors. We know something brought down that plane and it wasn't a mechanical failure." Sam says.

"And we need your help because we need to stop it from happening again. Here. Now." Dean asks for Amanda to help them.

"I'm sorry, I—I'm very busy. I have to go back-" Flustered, she tries to brush past Isabeau, who stops her.

Isabeau places her hands on Amanda's shoulders, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? But listen to me, uh...The pilot in 2485, Chuck Lambert. He's dead.

Amanda shakes her head, "Wait. What? What, Chuck is dead?"

"He died in a plane crash. Now, that's two plane crashes in two months. That doesn't strike you as strange?" Isabeau asks Amanda.

"I-" Amanda stutters.

"Look, there was something wrong with 2485. Now maybe you sensed it, maybe you didn't. But there's something wrong with this flight, too." Sam explains.

"Amanda, you have to believe us." Dean begs Amanda.

"On...on 2485, there was this man. He...had these eyes." Amanda recalls.

Sam snaps his fingers, "Yes. That's exactly what we're talking about."

"Well, I don't understand, what are you asking me to do?" Amanda asks.

"Okay. The copilot, we need you to bring him back here." Dean explains to Amanda.

"Why? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Don't have time to explain. We just need to talk to him. Okay?" Isabeau tells her.

"Well, How am I supposed to go in the cockpit and get the copilot—"

Isabeau shakes her head, "Whatever it takes. Do whatever it takes. Tell him there's something broken back here, whatever will get him out of that cockpit."

"Do you know that I could lose my job if you-"

Dean stops her, "Okay, well you're gonna lose a lot more if you don't help us out."

Amanda hesitates, "Okay."

Amanda leaves and goes to the cockpit, the three peek out from behind the curtain. She knocks on the door and says something inaudible to the copilot, who follows her back.

They back away from the curtain, and Sam pulls out the holy water, placing it under his arm. Dean pulls out John's journal and hands it to Sam, who opens it.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" The copilot enters the back, and Dean punches him in the face, knocking him down. He pins him down with the help of Isabeau, who's eyes were glowing red, and puts duct tape over his mouth.

"Wait. What are you doing? You said you were just gonna talk to him." Amanda asks in fear.

"We are gonna talk to him." Dean grunts out.

Sam splashes holy water on his skin, which sizzles.

"Oh, my god. What's wrong with him?" Amanda exclaims.

"Look. We need you calm. We need you outside the curtain." Sam orders her.

Amanda runs her hands over her face, "Well, I don't underst- I don't know-" She stutters out.

Isabeau's head snaps up, her eyes still glowing red, "Don't let anybody in, okay? Can you do that? Can you do that? Amanda?"

Amanda pauses, in shock of Isabeau's eyes, but follows her orders, "Okay. Okay." Amanda leaves them to their devices.

Dean punches the copilot, now demon, again, "Hurry up, Sam. I don't know how much longer we can hold him." Isabeau's eyes glowed brighter, putting all of her now enhanced strength, courtesy of her magic, into keeping the demon down.

"Sam throws more holy water on the demon to help them, "Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino-" Sam lets out a string of latin, but the demon breaks free briefly and hits Dean, Isabeau, and Sam until Dean manages to subdue him again.

Sam picks up where he left off and Isabeau goes back to helping Dean. The demon knocks Dean off again and pulls the tape off his mouth. He reaches up, his hand wrapping around Isabeau's throat, choking her, and grabs Sam by the collar.

The demon's eyes are black, looking at Sam, "I know what happened to your girlfriend! She must have died screaming! Even now, she's burning!"

The demon looks over at Isabeau, her eyes glowing a faint red, her hands trying to pry his own off her throat. He smirks at her. "How interesting. Little Isabeau all grown up," He pulls her down to an inch away from his face, "Do you truly know what you are?" He whispers to her.

Dean recovers, pulling Isabeau away from the demon and behind him. He hits the demon as Sam sits there, stunned. Isabeau watches from behind Dean, her eyes no longer glowing and back to her original blue, and rubs her throat.

"Sam!"

Sam recovers and begins reading again. He puts the journal down and helps Dean pin down the demon, "I got him."

The demon kicks the journal into the plane aisle, Isabeau notices and goes out into the aisle, looking for the journal.

The demon exits the copilots's body and disappears into a vent.

"Where'd it go?" Sam asks, looking around, noticing Isabeau's absence.

"It's in the plane. Hurry up. We got to finish it." Dean pats Sam on the shoulder, urging him to go. Sam exits from the back, and he sees Isabeau walking up to the journal.

As Isabeau reaches out to grab the journal, the plane suddenly dips and heaves violently, and the passengers start screaming in fear. Isabeau falls onto the ground, the journal skidding away from her.

"Isabeau!" Sam calls from the back, struggling to stand. Isabeau crawls and is able to retrieve the book as Dean splays himself against the exit door, screaming.

Isabeau flips through the pages, trying to find the exorcism. She stops for a moment, "Why am I looking for this, I _know_ it!" Isabeau scolds herself. She sits up on her knees, screaming out the exorcism, pulling the journal into her chest.

A bright electrical charge runs through the entire plane, which then levels out. Isabeau breathes out heavily, holding onto the seat next to her.

Various people ask if everyone's okay. Sam is able to stand on his own now and Dean comes out from behind the curtain, next to Sam. Both of them stare at Isabeau as she stands up. She turns to them with a smile. That was the first time in seven years that she spoke an exorcism from memory, and she was pretty damn proud of herself.

* * *

The passengers from the flight are disembarking to an area milling with uniformed agents; paramedics, FBI, etc. The copilot is seated in a wheelchair with a blanket wrapped around him, being questioned by an FAA agent.

"Sir, can you tell me what happened?" The FAA agent asks him.

"I don't know. I was walking through the airport, then it all goes blank. I don't even remember getting on the plane." The copilot answers.

Amanda herself is being questioned by another agent. "Anything else?" The FBI agent asks, writing information down.

"No, that's all." She says. She sees Sam, Isabeau and Dean standing across the way and mouths "Thank you". The three nod.

"Let's get out of here." Dean says,and the three head for the exit.

"You okay?" Dean glances over at Sam.

Sam stops and turns. "Dean," He takes a breath, "it knew about Jessica."

"Sam, these things, they, they read minds. They lie. All right? That's all it was." Dean tries to comfort Sam and Isabeau shifts her weight from one foot to the other.

"Yeah." Sam begrudgingly accepts.

Dean turns to Isabeau, his eyes widening once he sees the bruises on her neck forming. "Isabeau…"

Sam notices them too, glaring at them. "I'm sorry." Sam apologizes for not stopping the demon from choking her on the plane. Both reach out to take a look at them better, but Isabeau takes a step back. They pause, hurt in their eyes.

Isabeau's eyes soften, "It's fine Sam, the demon was just fucking with the both of us. Said something about me, 'not knowing who I truly am'... Come on. You two can look at them back in the car before we go see Jerry."

Isabeau walked away from Sam and Dean, thinking back on the demon's words. She knew that demons did lie, but they told the truth as well. After all, she knew a couple of demons.

* * *

The drive back took all night, and the boys worried over Isabeau all the way there. Sam even moved to the back seat with Isabeau, helping her with pressing ice to her neck that they had in one of their coolers that held their beer.

Once they got back, it was morning and they told Jerry everything that happened. Dean and Isabeau were leaning against the impala and Sam was across from them, all three looking at Jerry.

"Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do. A lot of people could have been killed." Jerry shakes their hands.

"Your dad's gonna be real proud. Your family should be proud of you too, Isabeau." Jerry tells them.

"We'll see you around, Jerry." Sam says.

Dean begins to head off toward the drivers side and Isabeau moves to the door of the backseat.

"You know, Jerry." Dean starts.

"Yeah." Jerry turns back.

"I meant to ask you, how did you get my cellphone number, anyway? I've only had it for like six months." Dean asks. Sam and Isabeau turn toward Jerry.

"Your dad gave it to me." Jerry responds.

"What?" Sam perks up.

"When did you talk to him?" Dean asks.

"I mean, I didn't exactly talk to him, but I called his number. His voice message said to give you a call. Thanks again, guys." Jerry answers, walking away for good.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam sit on the impala's trunk as Dean searches through his phone.

"This doesn't make any sense, man. I've called Dad's number like fifty times. It's been out of service." Sam tells them. Isabeau gets up from the trunk, and starts to pace in front of them.

Dean dials a number. As the voice message begins, he turns it on speaker so Sam and Isabeau can hear too. Isabeau stops in place as John's voice speaks.

"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean. 785-555-0179. He can help." The voicemail ends.

Sam fumes, walks up to Isabeau, placing his hand on her upper arm. She looks up at him, his eyes tearing up. He looks down at her silently, his eyes boring into hers. She knew that Sam needed her to sit up front with him.

Isabeau looks over at Dean. He wasn't as upset as Sam was but she could that Dean was just as angry and disappointed as Sam. Dean was silently asking her to sit up front with _them_.

She looks back at Sam and nods, heading to the passengers side, sliding into the middle of the front seat and Sam gets in right after her, slamming the car door shut. Sam throws an arm over her shoulder, pulling her into his side. Her head leans on his chest, his head resting on top of hers.

Dean follows, taking his spot in the driver's seat. Dean automatically grabs Isabeau's hand, moves into his lap, keeping it close and drives off.

"Motel tonight, hunt tomorrow." Isabeau simply states. They need to rest before they continued on the search for John.

Dean keeps his eyes on the road as he answers. "You got it, sweetheart."

* * *

"Woah." Dean breathed out as him and Sam walked into their motel room, closing the door behind them. The lights were dimmed down, white candles were lit everywhere; the table, the nightstand, they covered every flat surface in the room. The scent of jasmine and honey filled the room from the burning incense sticks that was on the nightstand between the two beds.

Isabeau stepped out of the bathroom, a wooden bowl in her hands. She smiled seeing the brothers, "Took you long enough. I got everything set up while you guys grabbed dinner." She set down the bowl next to the incense and walked over to them.

Isabeau looked at Sam. "Once we're done eating everything is ready to go for you." She then turned to Dean, "I can do the same with you Dean, if you want. You haven't been sleeping much either."

Dean chuckles, "If you wanted me in bed sweetheart, you could've just asked."

Isabeau laughs, grabbing three beers from the fridge placing them on the table as Dean took the food out of the bag.

Sam scoffs with a smile at Dean, before speaking to Isabeau, "Thanks, Beau."

Isabeau waved a dismissive hand at him, "It's nothing. I enjoy it and it helps you so, it's a win-win in my book."

The three took their seats at the table and began to dig in. "So, you said you were going to explain you and Olivia." Sam says, bringing up the conversation on the plane.

Dean takes a bite of his food, raising a brow at her. He was curious to know about the two's relationship as well. Isabeau lets out a short laugh, "Yeah, well, as I told you on the plane, Olivia and I are not together. Never have been, never will be."

"You two were very touchy." Dean points out.

"I'm touchy with the both of you all time!"

"Because that's how it's always been, Beau." Sam exclaims with a smile.

Isabeau huffs, "I know that Sam, it's the same with Olivia and my other friends. Though, Olivia and I did cross a line that neither of us can go back on."

Dean wipes his mouth with a napkin, "What's that?" He starts to take a sip of his beer.

"We're friends with benefits."

Dean spit out his drink and Sam choked on his food in shock. Both of them stared at Isabeau, jaws dropped. Isabeau smiled at them sheepishly, "Same goes with all my other girls."

Isabeau sighed, "Look, we're all hybrids, we found each other and well, we grew closer in many ways. None of us are dating each other, we all love each other but it's not romantic, it's more like a _profound bond_ that we have. It's purely out of trust and relying on one another."

"So that's who Olivia is to me, that's all my girls, not just her." Isabeau looked over at Sam, who nods in understanding.

"They're special. Nothing wrong with that." Sam places his hand on top of Isabeau's hand.

Isabeau turns to Dean. Dean gives Isabeau a soft smile. "They're a part of your life. I can't judge you for your relationships, Beau. Not if they're that important to you."

Isabeau smiles, taking Dean's hand. "Don't forget that you two morons are special to me too. You're my boys... if anything you two make the girls jealous." Isabeau pulled her hands away, taking a bit of her food.

Sam and Dean looked at each with smiles, "Really? Why would we make them jealous?" Sam asks, crossing his arms.

Isabeau swallows her food, "You guys have been in my life since I was born and uh, they know how close we are."

Dean hummed to himself. "They're all back home?"

Isabeau nodded. "They didn't like it that I left. If I go out on a hunt that's out of state, one of them usually tags along, or I'm home in a couple of days."

"So, when I knocked on your door asking for your help, you just left without telling them?"

"Dean, when you or Sam need me, I drop everything. They know that, and yes, they get jealous but they know that helping you guys is number one." Isabeau explains.

The three sit in silence, letting Isabeau's words sink in.

"Anyway, dinner is not going to eat itself and I've been itching to do my aromatherapy. So, hurry the fuck up."

Sam and Dean chuckle, "Yes, ma'am." Both said in unison.

* * *

Isabeau smiled softly at the two passed out on the beds. She snorted in amusement as Dean snored. Shortly after dinner, Isabeau performed her aromatherapy on both Sam and Dean; Sam was the first to go and then Dean, both falling asleep under her care.

Isabeau's phone rang on the table. She sighed, walking over to it. Once she saw the caller I.D. she winced and answered the phone. "Hey, Uncle C."

"My little black mamba, I was beginning to think you forgot about me." Her Uncle C teased.

Isabeau ran her fingers through her hair, and started going around blowing out candles. "I would never. Why would you accuse me of such a thing?"

"Well, you haven't called me in a month to tell me about your latest and greatest adventures. Not to mention you missed our annual lunch, twice… and your brothers told me you've been hunting with those Winchester boys again."

Isabeau groaned. Her Uncle was never fond of her being friends with Sam and Dean. Always said that they were too much of a good influence for her, and he didn't exactly like the idea of his little niece being close with them.

She finished blowing out the last candle and stood next to the empty side of Sam's bed. It was Sam's night with her. "Uncle, be nice." She scolded him while taking off her shoes and socks, tossing them aside.

"Nice? I don't understand that word. Why must you be with them?" Her Uncle asked.

Isabeau rolled her eyes, balancing her phone in between her ear and shoulder, and took off her jeans. "Because they're my friends, Uncle C. Have been and always will be. They need me right now and it wasn't like I was doing anything of importance besides hunting at home."

She took her shirt off as well, leaving her only in her black lace bra and underwear. "But you were home. You were safe." He responded. Isabeau slid underneath the covers next to Sam, and stared up at the ceiling.

"Uncle… I can't stay home forever. No matter how much you want me too." Isabeau fought back. She was met with silence from the other line.

"Or you could stay with me? It's not home… technically. It could be like when you were in your freshman year of college." Her uncle suggested. Isabeau rubbed her face. Her uncle was obsessed with the idea of her living with him. She lived with him for an entire year during college and he tried to convince her almost everyday afterwards to come back.

"No offense Uncle C, but if I lived with you, I'd probably kill myself." Isabeau jokes.

"Perfect. I already have a special little spot all set up for you. Be there forever." Her uncle happily responded.

Isabeau let out a small laugh. "I'm sure you do Uncle. Let me know when you want to make up those lunches, okay?"

"You want to make those up? Make it four this month? Hunting is quite the demanding job. You sure you have the time?" He asked.

Isabeau smiled. "I'll always make time for you, Uncle. Call me in the morning and I'll mark the dates. I love you."

He gave a rare chuckle over the phone. "I love you, black mamba."

Isabeau hung up the phone and placed it on the nightstand. "What did your Uncle need?" Isabeau jumped a little at the sudden question. She looked over at Sam, smiling as he looked at her with tired eyes.

"Jesus christ, Sam. You could've given me a heart attack." Isabeau said.

Sam smiled tiredly, "Sorry. Everything okay?" He asked, referring back to the phone call with her uncle.

Isabeau nodded, leaning over to turn off the lamp, sending the motel room into darkness and curled into Sam's chest. Sam smiled to himself, wrapping his arms around her exposed torso, his hands pressed against her back to pull her close, their legs tangled with one another's and Sam propped his chin on the top of Isabeau's head.

"The usual with him. Him wanting me to be safe and home with the family. Not really enjoying the fact that I'm hunting with you and Dean. Oh, and wanting to make up for our little get-togethers." Isabeau explained.

Sam hummed in response. His thoughts lingered on the fact that Isabeau's uncle didn't want Isabeau being around him and his brother. They've never even met the man and yet he has some weird vendetta against them.

"Why doesn't he like us?" Sam asked. Isabeau frowned, she knew the answer, but telling Sam the truth would just cause things to fall apart.

"I don't think he likes the idea of his little niece being around two grown men." She told Sam part of the truth. She then chuckled, "Then again, he doesn't exactly like anyone being close to me."

Sam chuckled. "Little over protective, huh?"

Isabeau snorted in agreement. "Yeah, if anything, he's like a second dad to me. I think it's because he doesn't really have kids of his own, so he thinks of me and the boys as his. He doesn't like the idea of his little girl growing up. I swear, him and my dad are exactly the same, even if they hate to admit it."

Sam and Isabeau laid in silence, enjoying the comfort of each other's touch. Sam furrowed his brow, thinking back to the very last bit of the conversation he caught of Isabeau's call. "Black mamba?"

Isabeau groaned, hitting Sam lightly on the hip. "It's my uncle's nickname for me. Don't ask why, I have no clue." But that was the thing, Isabeau knew exactly why her uncle called her 'black mamba'. She earned the nickname for a reason.

"Only he can use it?" Sam asked.

Isabeau nodded into Sam's chest. "Yep." She paused, reaching her arm over his torso, and slipping underneath his shirt to rub his lower back in small circles. "Get to sleep Sam, before I knock your ass out."

Sam chuckled. "Yes ma'am." Sam's eyes fluttered shut at her request. Isabeau smiled, closing her eyes as well, letting sleep consume her and drown her in utter darkness.


	12. Bloody Mary Pt.1

"Sam, wake up." Dean places a hand on Sam's shoulder.

Sam wakes, confused. He sits up and looks around. He's sitting shotgun in the Impala, which is parked in front of a large building.

"I take it I was having a nightmare." Sam

"Yeah, another one." Dean

"Hey, at least I got some sleep." Sam

"You know, sooner or later we're gonna have to talk about this." Dean

Sam turned to look at the back seat, Isabeau was lying along the back seat, and passed out. "How's Isabeau doing?" Sam asks, avoiding Dean's attempt at a confrontation.

Dean looks back at Isabeau with a sad smile, "She fell asleep not too long after you. She's exhausted, man. Between helping us sleep, taking her occasional day trips to see her uncle; hell, Bartholmieu even called me to check up on her. He said that she hasn't used her powers this much in years."

"Should we tell her to stop? Or at least not use them as often." Sam paused, "I mean you've seen what the visions are doing to her. They're getting stronger to the point where she's almost passing out."

Dean licks his lips, "Visions, yes. She needs to slow down with those, but she's fine with her fire and her basic abilities as a witch. You know, moving stuff, her spells, all of that."

Sam sighs, "Better wake her up."

Dean nodded, reaching over the front seat and lightly shook Isabeau's shoulder, "Hey Isabeau, wake up."

"Wake up, sweetheart."

* * *

_**July 5th, 1997** _

" _Wake up, sweetheart."_

_15-year-old Isabeau groans in her sleep as someone shakes her shoulder. She turns over to the person, rubbing her eyes, "Dean? What are you doing here?"_

_18-year-old Dean smiled at successfully waking Isabeau up. "Dad dropped Sammy and I off for a couple of weeks to stay with you."_

_Isabeau looked over at her alarm clock; it was 1:30 in the morning. "Why so late?"_

_Dean chuckled, "You know dad… Come on, Sammy and I set up something in the living room."_

_Dean turned around, sitting on the edge of the bed and gestured to his back, "Hop on, sweetheart."_

_Isabeau smiled tiredly, slipped out from the covers, and climbed onto Dean's back, her arms wrapping around his neck and legs around his waist. Dean's hands held Isabeau's legs, giving her a piggy-back ride. He got up from the bed and quietly made his way downstairs and into the living room as not to wake up Isabeau's little brothers._

" _Beau!" 14-year-old Sammy let out a whisper-shout in excitement. Isabeau smiles and waves. "Hi Sam!" She whisper-shouts back at him._

_The boys set up a makeshift fort with chairs holding up a bunch of bed sheets tied to them. In the fort was a mound of blankets and pillows. The TV was on and a pile of Isabeau, Sam and Dean's favorite movies sat on the ground next to a bowl of popcorn, sodas and candy._

" _Movie night." Sam says with a smile and crawls underneath the fort._

_Isabeau giggles as Dean sets her down on the floor. Isabeau immediately goes to sit next to Sam as Dean puts a movie on. Once he does, he climbs into the fort, sitting next to Isabeau. All three of them get comfortable and dig into the food in front of them, the TV being their only light source._

_Movie after movie, the night turned into morning. When Yvette and Bartholmieu walk into the living room that morning, their hearts melt at the scene in front of them. The three had fallen asleep watching one of Isabeau's favorites, 'Labyrinth'. Isabeau was sleeping on Dean's chest, one of his arms was around her waist, holding her close. Sam was sleeping on Isabeau's stomach, and her fingers were tangled in his hair from playing with it while falling asleep._

* * *

"Isabeau, wake up."

Isabeau jerked awake, "Stop stealing the cookie dough!" She exclaimed, sitting upright in a haze.

Sam almost burst out laughing at Isabeau, "Who stole cookie dough?" Dean coughed into his hand to hide his laughs.

Isabeau glared at them, "Shut up. Are we here?"

"Yup. Welcome to Toledo, Ohio." Dean confirms.

Sam picks up a newspaper with Steven Shoemaker's obituary circled. "So what do you think really happened to this guy?"

"That's what we're gonna find out." Dean says, handing Isabeau John's journal to put in the back, "Let's go."

Dean, Isabeau and Sam get out of the car and head up to the building.

* * *

Sam, Dean and Isabeau head into room 144, marked Morgue. There's two desks. Isabeau sees that the empty one has a nameplate that says Dr. D. Feiklowicz and the other one has the morgue technician.

"Hey." The morgue tech greets them.

"Hey." Dean greets back with a smile. The three come to a stop in front of the morgue tech.

"Can I help you?" The morgue tech asks.

"Yeah. We're the, uh...med students." Dean lies.

"Sorry?" The morgue tech asks, confused as to what Dean implied.

Isabeau pointed to the other desk, confused, "Oh, Doctor Feiklowicz didn't tell you." Isabeau was able to pronounce the doctor's name correctly. She also couldn't help but notice that the morgue tech was looking at her like she was a piece of meat.

Dean and Sam noticed it as well and stepped closer to her. The corner of Isabeau's lip curled up, she knew she could take care of herself against people like the morgue tech, but Sam and Dean being protective made her feel all jittery inside.

"We talked to him on the phone. He, uh, we're from Ohio State." Dean backed up their story, "He's supposed to show us the Shoemaker corpse. It's for our paper."

"Well, I'm sorry, he's at lunch."

The three glanced at each other, "Oh well he said, uh-" Dean stutters, "-oh, well, you know, it doesn't matter. You don't mind just showing us the body, do you?"

"Sorry, I can't. Doc will be back in an hour. You can wait for him if you want." The morgue tech suggested.

"An hour?" Dean winces, looking at Sam and Isabeau, "Ooh. We gotta be heading back to Columbus by then."

"Yeah." Sam and Isabeau say in unison.

"Uh, look, man, this paper's like half our grade, so if you don't mind helping us out-"

"Uh, look, man…" The morgue tech interrupts, "no."

Dean laughs a little, turns around and mumbles, "I'm gonna hit him in his face I swear."

Sam hits Dean on the arm and steps in front of Dean and Isabeau and opens his wallet and pulls out some twenties. He gives the morgue tech a tight smile and lays a few of them, at least five, down on the morgue tech's desk. Dean scoffs behind him and the morgue tech picks up the money.

"Follow me." The morgue tech gets up and leaves.

Dean grabs Sam when Sam tries to follow, "Dude, I earned that money."

"You won it in a poker game." Sam says.

"Yeah."

Sam follows the morgue tech and Isabeau goes to follow, but is stopped by Dean as well. "Stay close to Sam and I, I don't like the way that guy was looking at you."

Isabeau shook her head, "You two don't like it when anyone looks at me… but in this case, don't worry. He screams perv to me."

* * *

The three and the morgue tech were inside the morgue standing next to Shoemaker's body.

"Now the newspaper said his daughter found him. She said his eyes were bleeding." Sam recalls the details of his death.

The morgue tech pulls back the sheet over Steven's face. "More than that. They practically liquefied."

"Any sign of a struggle? Maybe somebody did it to him?" Dean asks.

"Nope. Besides the daughter, he was all alone."

"What's the official cause of death?" Sam asks.

The morgue tech winces, "Ah, Doc's not sure. He's thinking massive stroke, maybe an aneurysm? Something burst up in there, that's for sure."

Isabeau tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

The morgue tech smirks at her, "Intense cerebral bleeding. This guy had more blood in his skull than anyone I've ever seen."

"The eyes; what would cause something like that?" Isabeau ignored his smirk and continued asking questions.

"Capillaries can burst. See a lot of bloodshot eyes with stroke victims." The morgue tech explains.

"Yeah? You ever see exploding eyeballs?" Dean asks.

"That's a first for me, but hey, I'm not the doctor."

"Hey, think we could take a look at that police report? You know for, uh...our paper." Dean gives him a smile, wanting to get more information.

"I'm not really supposed to show you that." The morgue tech says suggestively.

Sam, annoyed, pulls out his wallet.

Isabeau puts her hand on Sam's wallet, shaking her head at him. Sam can't afford to lose any more money to this asshat. "I got this."

Isabeau reached into her bra, pulling out a wad of cash. She raised a brow at the men who were staring at her with wide eyes. She shrugged. "Emergencies." She pulled out a couple of twenties and handed them to the morgue tech.

The morgue tech smirked at Isabeau, taking the money but not without letting his fingers touch her own. Isabeau grimaced, pulling her hand away and putting the wad of money back in her bra.

* * *

Sam, Dean and Isabeau are walking down stairs in the hospital.

"Might not be one of ours. Might just be some freak medical thing." Sam suggests.

"How many times in Dad's long and varied career has it actually been a freak medical thing and not some sign of an awful supernatural death?" Dean asks.

"Uh, almost never." Sam responds.

"Exactly."

"All right, let's go talk to the daughter." Isabeau says, looking down at her hand in disgust.

Dean looked at Isabeau, the three of them stopping, "You good?"

Isabeau nodded, putting her hand away in her pocket "Let me drown my hand in a vat of hand sanitizer and I'll be fantastic." Isabeau let out a noise of disgust, thinking back to the morgue tech. "Fucking perv."

Dean chuckled. "Well, it didn't help that you took the cash from your bra."

Isabeau rolled her eyes. "I'm not the only woman to keep cash next to her tits, Dean. I rather would have given him cash instead of a free show."

Dean held up his hand. "A free show?" He smirked to himself.

Sam gave Isabeau an amused look.

Isabeau smiled smugly. "Again, cash over tits. Got to keep at least some of my dignity." Isabeau walked away from the boys, leaving them in their place.

Dean looked at Sam with a smile. "I would kill for a free show."

Sam chuckled. "I'm sure you would." Sam clapped his hand on Dean's shoulder guiding him to the exit. Sam didn't want to admit that he agreed with Dean.

* * *

The three arrived at the Shoemaker house and walk into the funeral. Dean looks down at the picture of Steven Shoemaker on the desk. The attendees are all men in black suits and women in black dresses, except Dean, Isabeau and Sam.

"Feel like we're underdressed." Dean tells Sam and Isabeau.

"We are." Isabeau said. "You guys go talk to the family. I'm gonna search around and see if I can get anything." Dean hesitated but nodded, walking off.

"Be careful." Sam said, going with Dean.

"Are we sure we want her using her visions?" Sam whispers to Dean.

Dean sighs, and whispers back, "No, I don't want her using them at all right now. But who are we to stop her. Once she has her mind set, there's no breaking it."

Isabeau huffed watching Sam and Dean walk away. She looked over at the stairs leading to the second floor.

Isabeau glanced around to see if anyone was paying any attention to her. No one was. She walked up the stairs quietly to not cause any unwanted looks. She made it up to the top of the stairs and rounded the corner, leading into the hallway.

She walked down the hallway and opened the door to the bathroom where Steven Shoemaker died. The floor still had dried blood on it. Isabeau closed the door behind her, and looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

She stopped at the mirror, looking into the eyes of her reflection. A shiver ran down her spine and her fingers felt heavy.

Isabeau reached her hand up to the mirror, her fingers just touching the cold glass. With a gasp, she closed her eyes, her vision flooded with the death of Steven Shoemaker.

_Blood poured out of his eye sockets, his nose, and ears. Isabeau could feel the excruciating pain that Steven was feeling. He watched his own reflection bleeding and fell to the floor, dead._

Isabeau opened her eyes with a strangled gasp. She pressed a hand to her head, it was pounding, making her dizzy. She looked at her reflection, seeing that blood was pouring out of her nose. "Fuck." Isabeau said before falling to her knees on the bathroom floor. She leaned back against the cabinet, and everything around her was a blur.

Isabeau closed her eyes, letting the darkness drown her into unconsciousness.

* * *

_**October 28th, 1999** _

" _Isa! Isa!"_

_17-year-old Isabeau was covered head to toe in blood, her white hair that was styled into two braids was stained red, her short pink dress was now red, her black over-the-knee boots were glistening with red; all of her was red. Even the machine gun full of silver bullets she held was soaked in the substance._

_Isabeau's glowing orange eyes stared blankly at the scene before her; the bloodied bodies of semi-scorched werewolves were scattered around the school gymnasium floor, laying in a lake of their own blood._

" _Isa!" Isabeau was grabbed tightly by her upper arms and was harshly turned around. She came face to face with a girl who had ocean blue eyes and dark brown hair that was pulled back into a neat bun, her own body had cuts and bruises but wasn't covered in blood like Isabeau._

" _Naysa…" Isabeau spoke softly. She couldn't believe what she did, her anger got the best of her._

_Naysa's hands cupped Isabeau's face. "Isa… what happened?"_

_Isabeau let out a shaky breath, "They threatened to hurt my family, my girls… they threatened… to hurt Sam and Dean."_

_Naysa's eyes widened, looking back at the bodies. She knew Isabeau was protective over her and the others and her family, but she knew that if someone even touched a hair and Sam and Dean's head, Isabeau was a force to be reckoned with._

_The fact that Sam and Dean were also not even a couple miles away, back at Isabeau's home, fueled her fire._

_Naysa knew that Isabeau's power over fire relied heavily on her emotions, and when her anger surfaced, Isabeau would lose herself in the heat._

" _Olivia, Emily and I are going to clean this up. Carmen, Belle and Alia are going to take you back to the house to get you cleaned up and then they're going to take you back home to Sam and Dean… alright?" Naysa explained to Isabeau._

_Isabeau blinked out of her trance, her eyes going back to their regular blue. "Okay." She forced out._

" _No need, Naysa." A man spoke up from behind Isabeau._

" _Please, no offense, but Isabeau needs us." Naysa tries to politely refuse the man's offer._

" _Naysa…" Isabeau cups Naysa's cheek. "It's okay, I'll come to the house tomorrow."_

_Naysa reluctantly nods at Isabeau and turns back towards the man, "Take care of her."_

_The man smiles, placing a hand on Isabeau's shoulder, "I always take care of my black mamba."_

* * *

Sam and Dean round the corner to the upstairs hallway, "Let's hope that Isabeau found something." Sam says.

"I just hope her vision isn't as intense as last time." Dean says, concerned for her. Sam nods in agreement as the two come to the closed bathroom door.

"Beau, you got anything?" Sam pushes the door open, and both brothers immediately go to an unconscious Isabeau.

"Beau." Dean crouched down to Isabeau's unconscious form. His hands cradled her cheeks. "Hey, Isabeau. Wake up sweetheart."

Sam picks up her hand, listening for a pulse, "She's fine, she's just out cold. Beau, you got to wake up."

Isabeau's eyes snapped open and grabbed the arms of Sam and Dean's jackets, she looked at both of them, they let out a sigh of relief as she awoke.

"I passed out didn't I?" Isabeau asks.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, you did."

"You good?" Sam asks as the brothers help Isabeau to her feet. She nodded, touching the blood that fell from her nose. "I'm fine. The visions are just… getting more intense."

Sam and Dean shared a worried look. "Are they always going to be like this?" Sam asks, moving to get a few pieces of toilet paper for Isabeau's nose.

Sam handed her the toilet paper. Isabeau thanked him, whipping away the blood and answered, "Not always, only for a while until I get used to them. After that they'll happen in the blink of an eye and almost like they've never happened. It'll take a while though. Enough about me, I think I know what killed ."

Sam nods, "Us too. The Bloody Mary legend…"

Isabeau throws the bloodied tissue into the garbage, "John ever find any evidence that it was a real thing?"

Dean shook his head, "Not that I know of."

Sam stoops to the floor and touches the dried blood. "I mean, everywhere else all over the country, kids will play Bloody Mary, and as far as we know, nobody dies from it."

"Yeah, well, maybe everywhere it's just a story, but here it's actually happening."

"The place where the legend began?" Isabeau asks, sitting on top of the cabinets.

Dean shrugs and opens the medicine cabinet, the mirror facing Sam.

"But according to the legend, the person who says B-" Sam does a double take at his reflection and closes it, "The person who says you know what gets it. But here-"

"Shoemaker gets it instead, yeah." Dean says.

"Right." Sam agrees.

"Never heard anything like that before. Still, the guy did die right in front of the mirror, and the daughter's right. The way the legend goes, you know who scratches your eyes out." Dean explains.

"Yeah, I can say that is not a pleasant feeling." Isabeau quipped in. Dean stared hard at Isabeau. The visions helped, but he didn't want her using them if it was hurting her. Even if it was only temporary.

She shrugs, hopping off the cabinets, "It's worth checking in to."

The sound of footsteps cause Sam and Dean to leave the bathroom.

"What are you doing up here?" Isabeau heard a woman's voice ask them.

"We-we, had to go to the bathroom." Dean tries to lie. Isabeau face palms from inside the bathroom, rubbing her hand down her face.

"Who are you?" The woman asks.

"Like we said downstairs, we worked with Donna's dad." Dean says.

"He was a day trader or something. He worked by himself."

Dean smiled nervously, "No, I know, I meant-"

She cut him off, "And all those weird questions downstairs, what was that? So you tell me what's going on, or I start screaming."

Isabeau's eyes widen at her threat. Her eyes soften and puts on a smile, walking out of the bathroom in front of Sam and Dean.

The woman's eyes widen at Isabeau's sudden appearance.

"All right, all right. We think something happened to Donna's dad." Isabeau spoke softly to her.

"Yeah, a stroke."

"That's not a sign of a typical stroke. We think it might be something else." Sam says.

The woman's gaze never leaves Isabeau, "Like what?"

Isabeau sighs, "Honestly? We don't know yet. But we don't want it to happen to anyone else. That's the truth."

"So, if you're gonna scream, go right ahead." Dean says.

The woman pauses, "Who are you, cops?"

Isabeau looks over her shoulder at Sam and Dean.

"Something like that." Dean says.

"I'll tell you what. Here." Isabeau reaches into her pocket, pulls out a paper and pen, and starts writing down her cell number.

"If you think of anything, you or your friends notice anything strange, out of the ordinary...just give us a call." Isabeau hands the paper to the woman, "Names Isabeau, by the way. Don't think I ever got to tell you that." Isabeau smiled softly.

"Charlie." Charlie gives Isabeau her name and can't help but return the smile, something about Isabeau made her feel warm inside. Charlie thought that Isabeau was very beautiful; her white hair and her baby blue eyes seemed to make Isabeau otherworldly. But, Isabeau seemed gentle as well as strong, Charlie liked that.

Isabeau nods, her, Sam and Dean leaving Charlie on her own.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean walk into a library, rather dark for the time of day.

"All right, say Bloody Mary really is haunting this town. There's gonna be some sort of proof—Like a local woman who died nasty." Dean says.

"Yeah but a legend this widespread it's hard. I mean, there's like 50 versions of who she actually is. One story says she's a witch, another says she's a mutilated bride, there's a lot more." Sam explains as the three walk into the actual library.

"All right so what are we supposed to be looking for?" Dean asks.

"Every version's got a few things in common." Isabeau says. "It's always a woman named Mary, and she always dies right in front of a mirror. So we've gotta search local newspapers-public records as far back as they go. See if we can find a Mary who fits the bill." Isabeau turns to Sam and Dean as they stop.

"Well that sounds annoying."

"No it won't be so bad, as long as we…" Sam looks at the computers which all say "Out of Order" on them. He chuckles, "I take it back. This will be very annoying."

* * *

Sam jerks awake with a gasp, "Why'd you let me fall asleep?" The three were back into their hotel room. Dean was sitting at the table, reading a book and Isabeau sat across from him doing the same.

"Cause I'm an awesome brother. So what did you dream about?" Dean asks.

"Lollipops and candy canes."

Isabeau shakes her head sadly at Sam's answer.

"Yeah, sure." Dean doesn't press Sam any further.

"Did you find anything?" Sam turns his head toward Dean and Isabeau.

Isabeau chuckles dryly, "Oh besides a whole new level of frustration?" She shakes her head as Sam sits up, "No. We've looked at everything. A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine committed suicide in front of a mirror, and a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave, but uh, no Mary." She closes the book in front of her, disappointed.

Sam falls back on the bed with a sigh, "Maybe we just haven't found it yet."

Dean spoke up, "We've also been searching for strange deaths in the area, you know...eyeball bleeding, that sort of thing. There's nothing. Whatever's happening here, maybe it just ain't Mary."

Isabeau's cell phone rings and she answers it, "Hello?" Sam and Dean turn to her and a look of concern comes across Isabeau's face.

* * *

The four are sitting at a park bench. Isabeau is sitting there with Charlie, holding her hand as she cries, Dean is sitting on the back of the bench, and Sam is standing there.

"And they found her on the bathroom floor. And her-her eyes. They were gone." Charlie squeezes Isabeau's hand.

"I'm sorry." Sam says sympathetically.

"And she said it."

Dean looks up at Sam as Charlie continues talking, "I heard her say it. But it couldn't be because of that. I'm insane, right?" Charlie turns to Isabeau.

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, you're not insane."

"Oh God, that makes me feel so much worse." Charlie says.

"Look. We think something's happening here. Something that can't be explained." Sam explains.

Dean turns to Charlie, "And we're gonna stop it but we could use your help."


	13. Bloody Mary Pt.2

Charlie comes in and locks the door to her friend, Jill's, room. She then goes over to the window and opens it, where Sam, Isabeau and Dean are waiting to enter. Isabeau enters first, and then Sam. Dean throws Sam a duffel bag and with a quick thanks, Sam sets it on the bed and starts going through it as Dean climbs through the window.

"What did you tell Jill's mom?" Sam asks Charlie.

"I just that I needed some time alone with Jill's pictures and things. I hate lying to her." Charlie explains. Sam pulls something out of the bag and Dean shuts the curtains.

"Trust us, this is for the greater good. Hit the lights." Dean tells Charlie.

Charlie goes over to turn off the lights, "What are you guys looking for?"

Isabeau sighs, "We'll let you know as soon as we find it." Isabeau walks around the room, hovering her hands over what once was Jill's belongings.

Dean glanced over at Isabeau and shook his head, he was going to have a talk with her about her powers.

Sam has a digital camera ready, and hands it to Dean, "Hey, night vision." Dean turns on the night vision for him. "Perfect."

Sam aims the digital camera at Dean.

Dean poses, "Do I look like Paris Hilton?"

Isabeau snorts from the sidelines, "I'd hit that." Charlie raises a brow at Isabeau, she didn't expect that comment.

Dean shakes his head at Isabeau with a smile, "Of course you would, sweetheart."

Sam snorts and walks away with the camera. He opens Jill's closet door and begins filming around the mirror, "So I don't get it. I mean...the first victim didn't summon Mary, and the second victim did. How's she choosing them?"

"Beats me." Dean has his EMF meter out, scanning everything.

SAM closes the closet door, walking to another mirror.

"I want to know why Jill said it in the first place." Dean looked at Charlie.

"It's just a joke." Charlie shrugs.

Isabeau let her hands fall to her sides, "Yeah well somebody's gonna say it again, it's just a matter of time."

Sam is in the bathroom filming around the mirror when he stops and sees trickles of something running out from behind the mirror, "Hey."

Isabeau, Dean and Charlie turn to look at him.

"There's a black light in the trunk, right?" Sam asks.

Sam carries the mirror out to Jill's bed and lays it on the bed upside down. Dean throws him a black light that he got from the trunk. Sam peels off the brown paper that is on the back of the mirror and shines the black light over the back of the mirror. There's a handprint, and the words "Gary Bryman".

"Gary Bryman?" Charlie leans forward.

Sam turns off the blacklight, "You know who that is?"

Charlie shakes her head, "No."

Isabeau reaches out to touch the handprint, but Sam grabs her wrist to stop her. Isabeau looks at Sam in surprise, "Sam…"

"I don't want you to pass out again. You need to take a break." Sam told her calmly.

Isabeau stares at Sam and then looks over at Dean. He nods his head; Dean was on the same side with his brother.

* * *

Isabeau and Charlie are sitting outside, again on a bench. Dean and Sam come up behind them.

"So, Gary Bryman was an 8-year-old boy. Two years ago he was killed in a hit and run. The car was described as a black Toyota Camry. But nobody got the plates or saw the driver." Sam explains, sitting down next to Isabeau. Dean stands behind her, resting his hands on her shoulder.

Charlie looks away in thought, "Oh my God."

"What?" Isabeau asks.

"Jill drove that car." Charlie tells them.

"We need to get back to your friend Donna's house." Dean states.

* * *

The three are in the bathroom of Donna's house. Sam, Isabeau and Dean are hunched over the back of the mirror with a black light. There is a handprint on it, and the words "Linda Shoemaker".

"Linda Shoemaker." Isabeau reads aloud as Sam moves the light over it. All three look at each other.

They headed downstairs to where Charlie and Donna was, and were asking Donna a few questions.

"Why are you asking me this?" Donna asks.

"Look, we're sorry, but it's important." Sam says.

"Yeah. Linda's my mom okay? She overdosed on sleeping pills, it was an accident, and that's it." She shakes her head at them, "I think you should leave."

"Now Donna, just listen." Dean tries to talk to Donna, but she didn't want to listen.

"Get out of my house!" Donna screams at them and she runs away to another part of the house.

Charlie turns toward the three, "Oh my God. Do you really think her dad could've killed her mom?"

"Maybe." Isabeau says, though she has a feeling that daddy dearest did kill Donna's mother.

"I think I should stick around." Charlie suggested.

Sam nodded as Dean spoke, "All right. Whatever you do, don't-"

"Believe me, I won't say it." Charlie reassures him.

Isabeau smirked at Charlie, "I think Charlie's got this handled. Come on, let's get going."

* * *

Dean is at a computer, Isabeau and Sam are looking at some things posted on a bulletin board.

"Wait, wait, wait, you're doing a nationwide search?" Sam asks Dean.

"Yep. The NCIC, the FBI database—at this point any Mary who died in front of a mirror is good enough for me." Dean says as Sam and Isabeau walk over. Sam sits down and Isabeau stands behind him.

"But if she's haunting the town, she should have died in the town." Sam says.

"I'm telling you there's nothing local, I've checked. So unless you got a better idea—" Dean shakes his head.

"The way Mary's choosing her victims, it seems like there's a pattern." Isabeau points out as she fiddles around with her rosary.

Dean looks at her, "I know, I was thinking the same thing."

"With and Jill's hit and run." Sam lists off.

"Both had secrets where people died." Dean finished.

Isabeau nods, "Right. I mean there's a lot of folklore about mirrors-that they reveal all your lies, all your secrets, that they're a true reflection of your soul, which is why it's bad luck to break them."

"Right, right. So maybe if you've got a secret, I mean like a really nasty one where someone died, then Mary sees it, and punishes you for it." Dean concludes.

"Whether you're the one that summoned her or not." Sam adds.

"Take a look at this." Dean prints out a picture of a woman lying by a mirror in a puddle of blood, giving it to Sam. Dean prints out another picture and hands it to Isabeau. The picture is of a handprint and the letters "Tre".

"Looks like the same handprint." Isabeau says.

"Her name was Mary Worthington—an unsolved murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana." Dean tells Sam and Isabeau.

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau headed up to Fort Wayne, Indiana; ending up at a detective agency. Sam and Isabeau had notepads in their hands.

The detective enters the room, "I was on the job for 35 years-detective for most of that. Now everybody packs it in with a few loose ends, but the Mary Worthington murder—that one still gets me."

"What exactly happened?" Dean asks.

"You boys and uh, young lady said you were reporters?" The detective asks, confused.

"We know Mary was 19, lived by herself. We know she won a few local beauty contests, dreamt of getting out of Indiana, being an actress. And we know the night of March 29th someone broke into her apartment and murdered her, cut out her eyes with a knife." Sam read off his notepad the information that they knew to the detective.

The detective nods his head, "That's right."

"See sir, when we asked you what happened, we wanted to know what you think happened." Dean says.

The detective goes and pulls out files from one of the cabinets, "Technically I'm not supposed to have a copy of this." He opens a file to the picture Sam, Dean and Isabeau found on the computer. "Now see that there? T-R-E?"

Dean nods, "Yeah."

"I think Mary was trying to spell out the name of her killer." The detective says.

"You know who it was?" Isabeau asks him.

The detective looked down at the files, "Not for sure. But there was a local man, a surgeon-Trevor Sampson." He pulls out a picture of Trevor Sampson, "And I think he cut her up good."

Isabeau crosses her arms, "Now why would he do something like that?"

"Her diary mentioned a man that she was seeing. She called him by his initial, "T". Well, her last entry, she was gonna tell "T"'s wife about their affair." The detective explained.

The word 'affair' rang in Isabeau's ears. Her hand tightened around the notepad in her hand.

"Yeah but how do you know it was Sampson who killed her?" Dean asks.

"It's hard to say, but the way her eyes were cut out...it was almost professional." The detective explains.

Dean breathed in, "But you could never prove it?"

He shook his head, "No. No prints, no witnesses. He was meticulous."

"Is he still alive?" Isabeau grunted out.

"Nope," The detective sits down and sighs, "If you ask me, Mary spent her last living moments trying to expose this guy's secret. But she never could."

"Where's she buried?" Sam asks.

"She wasn't. She was cremated." The detective answers.

Isabeau closes her eyes, of course this just had to get harder.

Dean looks down at the photo of the mirror, "What about that mirror. It's not in some evidence lockup somewhere is it?"

"Ah, no. It was returned to Mary's family a long time ago." The detective says.

"You have the names of her family by any chance?" Sam asks.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean are driving down the road and Isabeau is on her cell phone.

"Oh really?" Isabeau says in disappointment, "Ah that's too bad Mr. Worthington. I would have paid a lot for that mirror. Okay, well maybe next time. All right, thanks." She hangs up.

Dean glances in the rear-view mirror at Isabeau, "So?"

Isabeau leans forward, resting her arms on the front seat, "So that was Mary's brother. The mirror was in the family for years, until he sold it one week ago to a store called Estate Antiques. A store in Toledo."

"So wherever the mirror goes, that's where Mary goes?" Dean suggests.

"Her spirit's definitely tied up with it somehow." Sam says.

"Isn't there an old superstition that says mirrors can capture spirits?" Dean asks.

"Yeah there is. Yeah, when someone would die in a house people would cover up the mirrors so the ghost wouldn't get trapped." Sam explains.

"So Mary dies in front of a mirror, and it draws in her spirit."

Isabeau shakes her head, "Yeah but how could she move through like a hundred different mirrors?"

"I don't know, but if the mirror is the source, I say we find it and smash it." Dean says.

Isabeau bites her lip, "Yeah, I don't know, maybe."

Her cell phone rings, "Hello." Isabeau's forehead creases in concern, "Charlie?"

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean were back at their motel room and Charlie is sitting on the bed with her head on her knees. The three have all of the curtains drawn shut, and are throwing sheets over the mirrors, or facing them to the wall or floor.

Isabeau sits next to Charlie, rubbing her hand in circles on her back, "Hey, hey it's ok. Hey, you can open up your eyes Charlie. It's okay, all right?"

Charlie looks up slowly.

Isabeau speaks softly, "Now listen. You're gonna stay right here on this bed, and you're not gonna look at glass, or anything else that has a reflection, okay? And as long as you do that, she cannot get you."

"But I can't keep that up forever. I'm gonna die, aren't I?" Charlie asks.

Isabeau's breath hitches, "No. No. Not anytime soon."

Dean and Sam sit on the bed too. "All right Charlie. We need to know what happened." Dean says.

"We were in the bathroom. Donna said it." Charlie says.

"That's not what we're talking about." Sam says softly.

"Something happened, didn't it? In your life...a secret...where someone got hurt. Can you tell us about it?" Dean asks.

Tears fell down Charlie's face, her lip trembled, "I had this boyfriend. I loved him. But he kind of scared me too, you know? And one night, at his house, we got in this fight. Then I broke up with him, and he got upset, and he said he needed me and he loved me, and he said "Charlie, if you walk out that door right now, I'm gonna kill myself." And you know what I said? I said "Go ahead." And I left. How could I say that? How could I leave him like that? I just...I didn't believe him, you know? I should have." She puts her face back on her knees and starts crying again.

* * *

The three headed out and were driving in the rain.

"You know her boyfriend killing himself, that's not really Charlie's fault." Dean says.

"You know as well as I do spirits don't exactly see shades of gray, Dean. Charlie had a secret, someone died, that's good enough for Mary." Sam explained.

"I guess."

Isabeau played with her rosary, "You know, I've been thinking. It might not be enough to just smash that mirror."

"Why, what do you mean?" Dean glanced at her.

Sam made eye contact with her in the rear-view mirror as she spoke, Well Mary's hard to pin down, right? I mean she moves around from mirror to mirror so who's to say that she's not just gonna keep hiding in them forever? So maybe we should try to pin her down, you know, summon her to her mirror and then smash it."

"Well how do you know that's going to work?" Dean asks.

Isabeau huffs, "I don't, not for sure."

"Well who's gonna summon her?" Dean asks.

"I will." Sam speaks up, "She'll come after me."

Dean shakes his head, "Alright, you know what? That's it." Dean pulls the car over.

Dean turns off the engine, turning to Sam, "This is about Jessica, isn't it?" Sam doesn't answer.

"You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now listen to me—It wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place."

"Or me." Isabeau speaks up. "I'm the one that couldn't stop the fire. No matter how much of it I took in, I couldn't save her."

"I don't blame you." Sam told the both of them.

Isabeau sighs, "Well you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done."

"I could've warned her."

"About what?" Dean exclaims, "You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret, I mean we know all about it. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway."

"No you don't." Sam says.

"I don't what?"

"You don't know all about it. I haven't told you everything." Sam restates.

Isabeau looks at Sam in concern, "What are you talking about?" She whispers out.

"Well it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?"

Dean looks at Sam surprised, "No. I don't like it. It's not gonna happen, forget it."

"Dean that girl back there is going to die unless we do something about it. And you know what? Who knows how many more people are gonna die after that? Now we're doing this. You've got to let me do this." Sam begs Dean.

Sam turns to Isabeau, "Please, Beau."

Isabeau looks away from a moment before looking back at him, "Fine, but I'm staying with you every step of the way."

* * *

Sam is trying to pick the lock on the shop door and it opens. They walk in and see many mirrors in the shop.

"Well...that's just great," Dean pulls out the picture of Mary's dead body to look at the mirror, "All right let's start looking."

They split up, Sam and Isabeau together and Dean on his own, and walk around the store.

As the three of them are walking around,Isabeau's flashlight lands on a couple of mannequins, causing her to jump a little bit.

"You okay?" Sam asks, looking back and forth between Isabeau and the mannequins.

Isabeau quickly moves away from the lifeless models and closer to Sam, "I hate those things. They're fucking freaky, Sam."

Sam raised an amused brow at her, "Mannequins freak you out?"

She glares at him, "It's not funny! Mannequins and porcelain dolls are fucking creepy."

"Maybe they've already sold it." Dean calls out to Sam and Isabeau.

Sam's flashlight stops on the mirror, "I don't think so.

Dean walks over to him and pulls out the picture again to compare. It is the mirror.

"That's it." Dean sighs, "You sure about this?"

Sam hands Dean the flashlight as Isabeau turns her's off.

They walk up to the mirror, facing their reflections. Sam sighs, "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary." He looks at Dean who gives him an unsure look back. Sam picks up the crowbar, as she stares into her own reflection's eyes, her hand tightening around her own crowbar.

"Bloody Mary."

Dean turns to see a light coming through the store, "I'll go check that out. Stay here, be careful."

Sam readies the crowbar again, and Isabeau stands next to him.

"Smash anything that moves." Dean tells them before crawling away towards the front door. He sees a headlight, "Crap." He puts the crowbar down and begins to walk to the door.

Sam and Isabeau hear a breath, so they turn to look at a different mirror. "Isabeau, go help Dean."

Isabeau twirls the crowbar in her hand, seeing Mary in the corner of her eye, "Not a chance!" She exclaims, smashing the mirror with her crowbar.

Mary is in a different one now, and Sam sees her and smashes that mirror too. Sam is now back facing her mirror. And Isabeau looks around, making sure she doesn't pop up in any other mirrors.

Sam readies his crowbar, "Come on. Come into this one."

Sam looks oddly at his reflection, which has now taken a mind of its own, smirking at Sam. Sam starts having trouble breathing and has a trickle of blood coming out of his eye. He drops the crowbar and grabs his heart. Isabeau turns around, grabbing onto Sam, "Sam!"

"It's your fault. You killed her. You killed Jessica." Sam's reflection speaks to Sam, blaming him for Jessica's death.

Isabeau grits her teeth, and is ready to swing her crowbar at the mirror, "You shut up!" But she stopped mid swing.

"Beau?" Sam grunts out, worried.

Isabeau's own reflection smirks at her, "You killed them." Isabeau drops her crowbar, blood tickles down her face and she struggles to breath.

"You never told her the truth—who you really were." Sam's reflection tells him. Sam falls to the ground. "But it's more than that, isn't it? Those nightmares you've been having of Jessica dying, screaming, burning—You had them for days before she died. Didn't you!? You were so desperate to ignore them, to believe they were just dreams. How could you ignore them like that? How could you leave her alone to die!? You dreamt it would happen!"

Isabeau fell to the ground and looked over at Sam, who was looking at her terrified because of what his reflection was revealing to her. Isabeau at the moment, didn't care.

She looked back at her own reflection, who was grinning happily at her pain. "You killed so many, Isabeau. All the blood that you've spilt, you could practically bathe in it. How do you feel knowing that Sam and Dean are best friends with a killer?! You couldn't control your anger and it leads you down that pit that you tried so hard to crawl out of! You're an abomination, and you know it!"

With a scream, Dean's crowbar goes through the mirror. Isabeau and Sam are able to breath again, but are still in pain, letting their heads fall forward.

Dean bends down to the floor to Sam, picking up his head, "Sam, Sammy!"

"It's Sam." Sam says. Both turn to Isabeau, who has somehow got back on her feet. "Beau?"

Isabeau turns her head toward them, blood covering her face just like Sam, she gives them a chuckle, "Good timing, Dearie."

Dean grimaces, "God, are you two okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam grunts out.

Isabeau gave him an 'okay' gesture, "Just peachy."

"Come on, come on." Dean pulls Sam up and puts Sam's arm over his neck, and they begin to walk out. Isabeau limps behind them, until Mary comes out of the frame of the mirror.

They turn around to see her crawling over the broken glass. Mary walks towards them, more blood falling down Isabeau and Sam's face and now Dean's face as well, and all three fall to the ground. Isabeau reaches up and pulls over a mirror so that Mary is forced to see her own reflection.

"You killed them! All those people! You killed them!" Mary's reflection screams at her. Mary starts choking to death and melts into a pile of blood. Isabeau throws down the mirror she held and it shatters.

"Hey Sam?" Dean says.

"Yeah?"

"This has got to be like...what? 600 years of bad luck?"

Sam and Isabeau chuckles weakly. "Let's just hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass." Isabeau says with a weak smile.

* * *

Sam and Dean are driving in the car with Charlie and Isabeau in the back. They pull up in front of a house.

"So this is really over?" Charlie asks.

Dean nods, "Yeah, it's over."

"Thank you."

Dean reaches back to shake her hand. Charlie turns to Isabeau, giving her a quick peck on the cheek and she gets out of the car. Isabeau looks over at Charlie in surprise. When the hell did Isabeau become a chick magnet?

"Charlie?" Sam calls out to her. Charlie turns around.

"Your boyfriend's death...you really should try to forgive yourself. No matter what you did, you probably couldn't have stopped it. Sometimes bad things just happen." Sam comforts her.

Charlie smiles faintly, then turns around to go into the house.

Dean gently hits Sam, "That's good advice." The two smile at each other and drive off. Isabeau leans back, looking out at the scenery as it passes them by.

"Hey Sam?" Dean asks.

"Yeah?"

"Now that this is all over, I want you to tell me what that secret is."

Isabeau looks back at the brothers in front of her.

"Look…" Sam gives a soft smile, "You're my brother and I'd die for you, but there are some things I need to keep to myself." Sam locks eyes with Isabeau in the rear-view mirror. Isabeau knew that he wasn't going to say it out loud in front of Dean, but Sam would tell Isabeau when the two of them were alone.

Isabeau knew that for a fact. He would do the same for Isabeau as well, he would die for her, hell, even kill for her. Yes, he kept things from his brother, but he told Isabeau everything.

She gives him a faint nod, letting him know that she would be there to talk to later. Isabeau herself had to explain to him what her reflection revealed. The only difference was that she was going to tell both Sam and Dean. They were both equal in her heart and she wasn't going to favor one over the other.

Sam looks away from Isabeau and out the window and sees Jessica in a white dress on the street corner standing next to a light pole. She smiles softly at him, 'Love her.' Jessica tells him her last wishes and as they turn the corner she disappears behind the pole.

Sam looked forward, thinking to himself. ' _Love her.'_

Isabeau leans forward, reaching over to play a Led Zeppelin cassette tape. Sam watches as her and Dean bicker over the music, Dean fighting with her on the one rule when it comes to playing music.

Sam smiles as a grin stretches over Isabeau's face as she teases him. Years ago, he could never admit it, but he was always in love with Isabeau. Even when he was with Jessica, his love for her was nowhere near the love he had for Isabeau. And he thinks that Jessica knew that as well.

What he didn't know was that Jessica was okay with it, that all along she knew how he really felt. Jessica was just happy to be a part of Sam's life, even if the time together would soon become a small part of his life.

Isabeau turned to Sam, still smiling and asking Sam to defend her in her fight with Dean. In that moment, Sam was going to follow Jessica's wishes; he was going to love Isabeau. Something that he should've done a long time ago.

* * *

Isabeau sat outside on top of the trunk of the impala that was parked right outside their motel room for the night. She shoved off her jacket and placed it under her, leaving her arms exposed. She leaned back, laying down and looked up at the stars above her.

"Want some company?" Isabeau turned her head, smiling at Sam and Dean. "Come on you big lugs."

Both brothers climbed onto the trunk, Dean on her right and Sam on her left, both laying down, and all of them now looking up at the night sky.

"Wanna talk about it?" Sam asks, referring back to the antiques shop.

Isabeau goes to play with her rosary, but Sam and Dean each take one of her hands before she could. "I am an abomination, aren't I?" She asks out loud.

"What?" Dean looks at her confused, "Why would you say that?"

Isabeau let out a shaky breath, "I know I'm not normal by any means. Being part of the supernatural makes me different already; a freak among humans. I'm not the only one, but being a hybrid; a freak among my own kind. Being all of that, and a hunter; a freak to everyone. I'm fine with that, but something is wrong with me."

Isabeau's brow furrows, "When my emotions got the best of me when I was younger, I lost myself in my powers. My fire would become uncontrollable, my mother couldn't even do some of the things that I could. My powers as a witch were completely different from everyone else. I started doing things that my kind feared, they thought I was too powerful and… they tried to kill me."

Sam and Dean squeezed her hands, "Why did you never tell us?" Sam asked.

"Wasn't your problem. It was mine."

"Bullshit." Dean scoffs.

Isabeau looked at Dean confused, "What?"

Dean turned to Isabeau, "Bullshit. Your problems are our problems. Anyone, and I mean anyone tries to lay a finger on you-"

"We deal with it." Sam finishes. Isabeau turned to Sam who was already looking at her. Both of their faces were hardened. Neither of them wanted Isabeau to get hurt because of what she was. Human or supernatural, the person who would even try to hurt her would have hell to pay.

Isabeau closed her eyes, moving her head back towards the sky, "What would I do without you two?"

Dean scoffed, "Trip over your own two feet."

Isabeau snorted. The three knew that Isabeau could handle herself, but when it came to her own emotional turmoil, she needed the support.

"I wonder how we made it two years without you." Dean admitted. Dean relied on Isabeau, more than he ever did with his own father or Sam. Isabeau was his sanctuary, a place to let out his fears, his desires and darkest secrets. Dean felt that without her, the only reason why he would be hunting was to avenge his mother. But, once that was done and over, he would continue to hunt by Isabeau's side. She was his rock, the only constant in his life that he knew and didn't want to let go of.

Sam didn't say anything, he questioned how he made it without her too. A part of him felt empty without Isabeau, that should have been the first red flag to act upon. When Sam first left Dean and his father, his first instinct was to go to Isabeau and he did the night he left. She was the one that encouraged him to live his life. He regretted not asking her to run away with him. Things could've been different.

At the same time, both brothers wanted each other to be happy. Isabeau was happiness, something that they both desire. They couldn't take each other's happiness away, and that never changed, even when they both fell in love with the same woman.

They would stick with each other just to be with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh would you look at that, we learn a little bit more about Isabeau in "Bloody Mary". Also, Isabeau has Automatonophobia, the fear of human-like figures. She is terrified by mannequins and porcelain dolls for the most part, other things like wax-figures and animatronics scare her as well, but not as bad as the first two. Also, expect more little special appearances from my own original characters like Olivia from "Phantom Traveler Pt.1 and Pt.2". I also love hearing from you guys! It really makes me passionate about this series. So, thank you!


	14. Skin Pt.1

Sam, Isabeau and Dean pull into a gas station. Sam is on his PalmPilot and Isabeau is on her phone, listening to her voicemails.

Dean stops the impala, "Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight." Isabeau gives him a thumbs up, but Sam doesn't respond. "Sam wears women's underwear."

Isabeau snorts and Sam responds, not looking up from his PalmPilot, "I've been listenin', I'm just busy."

"Busy doin' what?"

"Reading e-mails."

Dean gets out of the car and starts to fill the tank with gas, "E-mails from who?"

Sam clicks an email, "From my friends at Stanford."

Dean laughs, "You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"

"Why not?" Sam asks.

Isabeau gets out of the car and gives Dean a look, "I still keep in touch with my friends, Dean. Why can't Sam?" She looks down at her cell, clicking it a few times and presses it up against her ear, "Gotta make a call." She walks away leaving the two of them alone.

Dean watches Isabeau walk away and shrugs. He moves to lean against the passenger door, looking in at Sam, "Well, what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?"

"I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother and best friend. I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess." Sam explains.

"Oh, so you lie to 'em."

Sam shakes his head, "No. I just don't tell 'em….everything."

Dean narrows his eyes, "Yeah, that's called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse."

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asks. Dean shrugs in response.

"You're serious?"

Dean shakes his head, "Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people, period."

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Sam tells him.

Dean looks away, his eyes settling on Isabeau, "Yeah, whatever." He smiles faintly as he watches Isabeau on her call.

Sam continues to read his e-mails, "God…."

Dean leans into the passenger window, "What?"

"In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine." Sam explains.

"Is she hot?" Dean asks. He didn't know why he asked that. It was just normal for him. It is something he needed to work on, especially with Isabeau now with them.

Sam ignores him, "I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack. She says Zack's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case."

"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?" Dean asks.

Sam looks at Dean, "No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer."

"Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you."

"They're in St. Louis. We're going." Sam orders.

Dean chuckles, "Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem."

"It is our problem. They're my friends." Sam says.

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam." Dean argues and they exchange a look. Dean sighs and turns around, looking over at Isabeau.

Dean waves over at Isabeau, catching her attention. She holds up a finger, telling him to give her a minute. "Who the hell is she talking to?" Dean asks.

Sam shrugs, "Her mom, dad, brothers, uncle, friends… take your pick." He lists the possible people that Isabeau could be talking to.

Isabeau runs her finger through her hair, "So, you're going to be in St. Louis for the next couple of days? Did anyone tag along with you, Skylar?"

The woman on the other line hums out a no. "The others are dealing with a couple of hunts on their own; Belle and Alia headed up to Boston for the week, Carmen went to Ireland to visit her girlfriend, something about a banshee and the others are kind of doing the same. A couple are at the house helping around with local stuff."

Isabeau nods, "Good, that's… good."

"You okay?" Skylar asks.

Isabeau rubs her eyes, "Yeah, I guess I'm just feeling a little homesick."

Skylar chuckles, "Don't worry, I'll make time to visit you once I'm done and we can… catch up."

Isabeau bites her lip, "I'll be looking forward to it. Call me when you're done and I'll let you know where I am."

"Cool, love you." Skylar says.

Isabeau smiles, "Love you too."

Isabeau hangs up her phone and walks back over to Sam and Dean, "Sorry, my friend Skylar was just updating me on what was going on back home. Some of the girls are on hunts of their own, and a couple are keeping up with what's going on locally."

Dean nods, "They like to keep you updated." He points out.

"Well, yeah," Isabeau smiles, "We got a whole system; keep each other updated as much as we can, help when needed, plus they have this whole thing about me being the 'leader'." She does air quotations when she says leader.

She waves it off before Sam or Dean could even ask, "Anyway, Tucumcari by lunch right?"

"Change of plans, heading up to St. Louis." Dean tells her.

"You're joking?"

Sam shakes his head in confusion, "No… Why?"

Isabeau chuckles in disbelief, "Skylar is in St. Louis right now. She's dealing with a quick salt n' burn and is staying there for a couple of days."

She then shrugs, flipping open her phone, ready to call back Skylar, "Alright, St. Louis here we come."

* * *

The three are standing outside Rebecca's house, she opens the door and chuckles once she sees Sam, "Oh my God, Sam!" Isabeau took Rebecca in; she was attractive, that was for sure. What was up with Sam and Dean always knowing all the beautiful women? She then thought for a moment; her girls were down right drop-dead gorgeous.

Sam smiles, "Well, if it isn't little Becky."

"You know what you can do with that little Becky crap." Rebecca smiles and they hug.

Sam pulls away, "I got your e-mail."

"I didn't think that you would come here." Rebecca admits.

Dean steps forward and extends his hand, "Dean. Older brother."

Rebecca shakes his hand, "Hi."

"Hi." Dean says with a smile.

"And this is Isabeau." Sam introduces Rebecca to Isabeau.

Rebecca smiles brightly, "Isabeau? The Isabeau?" Rebecca suddenly pulls Isabeau in for a strong hug. Isabeau grunts in surprise, but returns the hug.

"Sam talked about you all the time." Rebecca says, breaking off the hug.

Isabeau raises a brow, "I hope all good things?" She elbows Sam playfully.

"You kidding? I feel like I practically know you."

Isabeau glanced at Sam with a smile. It made her heart flutter that Sam talked about her to his friends.

Sam smiles at the two girls interacting, "We're here to help. Whatever we can do."

Rebecca beckons them forward, "Come in." They walk inside the house, and Dean shuts the door.

"Nice place." Dean says as they walk deeper inside.

"It's big." Isabeau whispers out. Her home was pretty big as well, but nothing like this.

"It's my parents'. I was just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zack's free." Rebecca explains to them.

"Where are your folks?" Sam asks.

"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial." They enter the kitchen, "Do you guys want a beer or something?" Rebecca asks them.

Dean points at her, smiling, "Hey-"

Sam looks at Dean, "No, thanks. So, tell us what happened."

Rebecca sighs, "Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair. And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing."

Rebecca's voice starts to break, "So, he called 911, and the police—they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way that Zack could've killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police—they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zack coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that, but I swear, he was here with me, having a few beers until at least after midnight."

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene. Zack's house." Sam suggests.

"We could." Dean adds. Isabeau and Sam glance at each other.

Rebecca looks between all three of them, "Why? I mean, what could you do?"

"Well, me, not much. But Dean and Isabeau are cops." Rebecca looks over at the two.

Dean laughs, "Detective, actually."

"Really?" Rebecca asks. Dean nods.

"Where?"

Dean looks over at Sam, "Bisbee, Arizona. But I'm off-duty now."

Rebecca looks over at Isabeau, "You too?"

Isabeau shrugs with a shy smile, "I'm actually up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. When Sam called me up for some help, I ran my ass down here. The sheriff was nice enough to give me a week."

Sam tilted his head at her; she was able to come up with a lie that easily. And why Sioux Falls?

"You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just—I don't know." Rebecca says unsure.

"Bec, look, I know Zack didn't do this. Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent." Sam tells her.

Rebecca looks at all of them, "Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys." She walks away, down the hall.

Dean whistles, walking over with Isabeau to face Sam, "Oh, yeah, man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends."

"Look, Zack and Becky need our help." Sam says.

"I just don't think this is our kind of problem." Dean admits.

"Two places at once? We've looked into less." Isabeau says, backing Sam up. These were his friends, Sam would do the same for her.

Dean presses his lips together and says nothing, defeated.

* * *

Dean, Sam, Isabeau and Rebecca park the car outside of Zack's house and get out.

Rebecca turns to Dean, "You're sure this is okay?"

"Yeah. I am an officer of the law." Dean gives her a smile and the four of them walk to the house.

Sam, Isabeau and Dean enter the house and look around. The furniture and walls of the house are smeared with blood. Rebecca stays on the porch steps.

Sam turns to Rebecca as Dena and Isabeau search the place together. "Bec, you wanna wait outside?"

Rebecca shakes her head, "No. I wanna help." She ducks under the police tape and enters the house.

"Can you tell us what else the police said?" Isabeau asks, being careful not to touch anything. She was following Dean and Sam's request to not use her visions for awhile, then again, she doesn't have to touch anything to get a vision.

Rebecca looks at her tearfully, "Well, there's no sign of a break-in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers—they're already talking about plea bargain." She looks around the room, crying, "Oh, God…."

"Look, Bec, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?" Sam asks.

Rebecca shakes her head, and then begins to remember something, "Um, there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes—Zack's clothes. The police—they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed."

Isabeau looks up at the mention of stolen clothes.

Sam walks away and Dean moves to the open front door and sees the neighbor's dog, barking loudly. Rebecca comes up behind him, "You know, that used to be the sweetest dog."

"What happened?

"He just changed." Rebecca answers.

"Do you remember when he changed?" Dean asks.

"I guess around the time of the murder." She says. Dean looks at her, and then walks away.

Isabeau comes up behind Rebecca, frowning at the dog. "He saw it, that's why he's barking at everyone he sees."

Rebecca turns to her, "Yeah?"

Isabeau rests a hand on Rebecca's upper arm, "Yeah, animals are susceptible to human emotions, react to people's actions." Isabeau sighs, "We're gonna find out who did this, I promise you."

Rebecca wipes away a lone tear, comforted by her words, "How long?"

Isabeau raises a brow at her, "How long… what?"

"How long have you've been a cop?"

Isabeau smiles, "Couple of years, work under the best sheriff I know." She looks back at the dog who is still barking at them. "I'm going to go see if I can go calm him down," She juts her head toward Sam and Dean, "Go talk to them."

Isabeau walks out the door towards the dog as Rebecca walks to Sam and Dean.

Dean turns to Rebecca, "So, the tape. The security footage—you think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it, 'cause I just don't have that kind of jurisdiction."

"I've already got it. I didn't wanna say something in front of the cops." Rebecca admits. Dean laughs.

"I stole it off the lawyer's desk. I just had to see it for myself." Rebecca says.

"All right."

The three of them leave, stopping in surprise at the steps, seeing Isabeau petting the dog that was barking at all of them moments ago. The dog was wagging his tail happily, trying to lick at Isabeau's face.

Isabeau laughs, "Easy boy, easy."

She looks up, seeing the three waiting for her. She walks away from the dog, telling him to stay. The dog follows her orders and sits down, wagging his tail and waiting for her next orders.

"How did you do that?" Rebecca asks, the four of them now walking to the car.

Isabeau shrugs, "Guess I just have the magic touch."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other, thinking that she used her magic to somehow calm the dog down.

In actual reality, she didn't use any magic. All she did was go up to the dog and one pat on the head later, he was back to being the sweet dog that he was. Animals of any kind seemed to love Isabeau and she could never figure out why.

* * *

They headed back to Rebecca's house; Dean, Sam, Isabeau and Rebecca are watching the security footage in her living room. Rebecca is sitting in one of the chairs with Isabeau sitting on the air. Sam and Dean are standing off to the side.

"Here he comes." Rebecca says. The tape shows Zack entering his house.

Dean notices the timestamp, "22:04, that's just after ten. You said time of death was about 10:30."

"Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic. It wasn't tampered with." Rebecca answers.

Isabeau narrows her eyes at the footage, noticing something strange. Sam seems to notice the same thing on the tape.

"Hey, Bec, can we take those beers now?" Sam asks.

Rebecca nods, "Oh, sure." She gets up to go to the kitchen.

"Hey, uh…" Sam calls out and Rebecca turns around. "Maybe some sandwiches, too?" He asks.

Isabeau gives him a look, "What do you think this is, Hooters?" Rebecca laughs and looks over at Isabeau, "Think you could help me?"

Isabeau's jaw slightly drops, "Uh, yeah. I'll help." Rebecca leaves the room with a suggestive smile.

Isabeau gets up, shrugging at Dean and Sam who gave her questioning looks, "I don't know." She whispers to them and leaves the room.

"You don't think?" Sam questions, looking over at the doorway.

"That Rebecca has the hots for Isabeau?" Dean asks.

Both brothers' eyes widen at the realization that Rebecca had a thing for Isabeau. "Shit." Both said in unison.

Dean shakes his head, trying to get back on track and walks over to Sam. "What is it?"

"Check this out." He rewinds the tape, then replays it. One of the frames shows Zack looking directly at the camera. His eyes are silver and Sam pauses the tape.

"Well, maybe it's just a camera flare." Dean guesses.

"That's not like any camera flare I've ever seen. You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul."

"Right."

"Remember that dog that was freakin' out? Maybe he saw this thing. Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack's, something that looks like him but isn't him."

"Like a Doppelganger." Dean says.

"Yeah. It'd sure explain how he was two places at once." Sam says.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Rebecca sighs sadly, "Damn, and I thought I had a chance."

Isabeau laughed wholeheartedly at Rebecca, "There's nothing official between us. I drop hints all the time and I think it just goes over their heads."

Rebecca nods "I don't know how, if you were flirting with me, I'd take you home in a second."

Isabeau laughs, "I'm flattered, but I don't know, it's just difficult you know? Confessing that you're in love with two people. Asking them to be in a polyamory relationship is not an everyday thing." Isabeau admitted.

Isabeau chuckles, "Doesn't help that they're brothers either."

"Well, I'm rooting for you. I just hope your job doesn't get in the way." Rebecca says.

Isabeau nods, "Me too." Isabeau was referring to her life as a hunter, danger was always a factor and death could be lurking around any corner. She hoped that she could tell Sam and Dean before death took her into his embrace.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam park their car behind Zack's house and get out.

"Alright, so what are we doin' here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asks with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Isabeau and I realized something. The videotape shows the killer goin' in, but not comin' out." Sam says.

"So, he came out the back door?" Dean takes a sip of his coffee, and leans against the hood of the impala.

Isabeau nods, "Right. So, there should be a trail to follow. A trail the police would never pursue."

"'Cause they think the killer never left. And they caught your friend Zack inside. I still don't know what we're doin' here at 5:30 in the morning." Dean says.

Sam and Isabeau look around the outside of the building, and notices blood smeared on a nearby telephone pole.

Sam huffs, "Blood. Somebody came this way."

"Maybe the trail ends. I don't see anything over here." Dean looks around him.

An ambulance drives past them, and the three exchange a look.

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau observe the scene. A man is handcuffed and is stepping into a police car.

They walk up to a nearby woman. "What happened?" Dean asks.

"He tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her." The woman told them.

"Really?" Isabeau asks and raises her brow in surprise.

"I used to see him going to work in the morning. He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy." The woman shakes her head as they watch the man get taken away.

Later on, Sam and Isabeau are on the side of the house, looking around. Sam looks inside two garbage cans, but finds nothing. He turns to Isabeau who has her hand pressed up against one of the trees.

She shakes her head at him, she has nothing. They move to the front of the house, where Dean comes up behind them.

"Hey."

Sam and Isabeau turn around.

"Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem?" Dean asks.

"Yeah." Sam says.

"Definitely our kind of problem."

"What'd you find out?" Isabeau asks.

"Well, I just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, he heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked." Dean explained what he scrounged up.

"So, he was two places at once." Sam concludes.

"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house, police think he's a nutjob." Dean says. Isabeau's eyes widen, lost in her own thoughts.

"Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way." Sam says.

"Could be the same thing doin' it, too."

Isabeau groans, "You've got to be shitting me."

"What's wrong?" Dean asks, both him and Sam confused at her statement.

Isabeau runs her fingers through her hair in exasperation, "It's a shapeshifter. God damn it! It was right in front of my eyes and I couldn't even see it!"

Sam tilted his head at her, "Shapeshifter? That's what I was thinking."

Dean shrugs, "You've dealt with one, Beau?"

She shakes her head, "No, I, uh, Skylar is half shapeshifter. She's in town, but she wouldn't do something like this, never. It's got to be another shapeshifter that is seriously pissed off."

"Are you sure?" Dean asks.

Isabeau gives him a look, "Dean, I've known Skylar for years. She only ever uses her ability to shift if it's absolutely necessary. She's not a killer."

Dean nods at her, "Alright, so we've got a shapeshifter prowlin' the neighborhood."

Sam looks at Isabeau, "Let me ask you this—With what you know about shapeshifters, can any of them fly?"

Isabeau shakes her head, confused, "No. Why?"

"I picked up a trail here. Someone ran out the back of this building and headed off this way." Sam explains.

"Just like your friend's house." Dean compares the similarities.

"Yeah. And, just like at Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared." Sam says.

Dean purses his lips, "Well, there's another way to go—down." They look down and notice a manhole beside them.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam climb down the manhole and look around.

"I bet this runs right by Zack's house, too. The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around." Sam suggests.

"I think you're right. Look at this." Dean says. The three bend down and examine a pile of blood and skin on the ground; all of them are disgusted.

"Is this from his victims?" Sam asks as Dean takes out a pocket knife and holds up some of the skin.

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, when shapeshifter's change shape, it sheds its old skin."

Sam and Dean grimace, "That is sick."

* * *

Dean opens the trunk and takes out some weapons, "Well, one thing I learned from Dad, is that no matter what kind of shapeshifter it is, there's one sure way to kill it." Dean starts putting silver pullets in his gun.

"Silver bullet to the heart." Sam says with a smile.

"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner." Isabeau says, pulling out her own gun and filling it up with bullets.

Sam's cell phone rings and he answers it, "This is Sam."

"Where are you?" Rebecca asks from the other line.

"We're near Zack's, we're just checkin' some things out."

"Well, look, Sam, just stop, 'cause I really don't need your help anymore." Rebecca says.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asks.

"I told the lawyers that we went to the crime scene."

Sam scoffs, "Why would you do that?"

"Well, I told them that we were with police officers. And they checked it out, and they told me that there is no Detective Dean Winchester." Rebecca answers.

"Bec-"

"No, I don't understand why you would lie to me about something like that."

Sam sighs, "We're tryin' to help."

"Oh, trying to help? Do you realize that that was a sealed crime scene? This could have just ruined Zack's case."

"Bec, I'm sorry, but-"

"No. Do me a favor and tell Isabeau to call me. They called up the sheriff in Sioux Falls and confirmed that Isabeau is a real cop. I'm only talking to her now. Goodbye, Sam." She hangs up. Dean and Isabeau walk over to Sam, who looks disappointed.

"I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talkin' about. You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just—it'd be easier if—" Dean tries to tell Sam.

"If I was like you."

Dean smiles, "Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people. But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig—it ain't without perks." He holds up a gun and Sam takes it and puts it in the back of his jeans.

Isabeau starts to walk away, but freezes when Sam speaks.

"They called up the sheriff in Sioux Falls…" Sam stares at Isabeau's back, "Do you want to tell me something? Officer?"

Isabeau sighes and turns back around to face the confused brothers. She raises her hands in defense, "I wasn't lying when I told Rebecca that I worked with a sheriff up in Sioux Falls. Not as an officer, but the sheriff did say that if I needed anything, they would pull a few strings. Posing as a cop being one of them."

Dean chuckles, "How many people do you know?"

Isabeau smiles, "Too many."

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau are walking through the sewers, looking around with their flashlights and guns.

"I think we're close to its lair." Dean states.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asks.

Isabeau moves her flashlight from behind Dean, "Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face." She states nonchalantly.

Sam turns and sees another pile of blood and skin on a nearby pipe, "Oh, God!" He says in disgust.

They look around the area and see a pile of clothes in a corner.

"Looks like it's lived here for a while." Dean says, shining his flashlight on the pile.

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Sam turns and sees the shapeshifter, still in the form of the man that got arrested, standing behind Isabeau.

"Isabeau!" Sam screams.

Isabeau turns and gets punched in the face by the shapeshifter and so does Dean. They both fall to the ground, and the shapeshifter runs away. Sam shoots after it a few times, but misses as Dean helps Isabeau up. Sam moves over to his brother and Isabeau.

Dean growls out, holding his shoulder, "Get the son of a bitch!" He yells at Sam. Dean looks at Isabeau, noticing bruising already starting to appear around her left eye. "You good?"

She nods at him, "I'm fine. Go!" Sam and Dean run ahead, Isabeau trailing behind and follow the shapeshifter.

* * *

The shapeshifter comes out of the manhole and runs away. Seconds later, Sam, Dean and Isabeau come out, hide their guns and look around.

"All right, let's split up. Isabeau, you're with me." Sam states. She nods in agreement.

"All right, I'll meet you around the other side." Dean pats Sam's arm.

Isabeau licks her lips, "All right." Sam and Isabeau walk away in one direction and Dean goes the other way.

Isabeau clutches her gun tightly that was inside her jacket, searching around with Sam as they walk down the crowded street.

The two come to the street corner, waiting for Dean.

Dean comes up behind him, "Hey."

Isabeau and Sam turn around. "Anything?" Dean asks.

"No. He's gone." Sam answers.

"All right, let's get back to the car." Dean says. Sam and Isabeau cross the street, Dean stops, waiting for a passing car to drive by. As the car passes, Dean's eyes momentarily glow silver.


	15. Skin Pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, warning (Do I need to put warnings for this?), mentions of nudity and sex near the end of this chapter.

Dean, Sam and Isabeau stop at the car.

"You think he found another way underground?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, probably. You got the keys?" Dean asks Sam. Sam stops, glancing at Isabeau and thinks before turning around.

"Hey, didn't Dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?" Sam asks. Isabeau narrows her eyes at Sam.

"Oh, that was Austin. It turned out not to be a shapeshifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?" Dean corrects Sam.

Sam shakes his head, "Oh, right. Here ya go." He throws the shapeshifter the keys and walks away with Isabeau.

"When I tell you, make a run for it." Sam leans down to whisper into Isabeau's ear. Isabeau looks up at him confused. "Sam?" She whispers.

Dean opens the trunk, observes all the weapons and he laughs.

"Don't move!" Sam shouts. Dean turns and sees Sam pointing the gun at him. "What have you done with him?"

"Sam! What the hell?!" Isabeau exclaims.

Dean raises his arms, "Dude, chill. It's me, all right?"

"No, I don't think so. Where's my brother?"

"You're about to shoot him." Dean gestures to the gun. "Sam, calm down. Beau, tell him."

"You caught those keys with your left. Your shoulder was hurt." Sam states.

Isabeau eyes widen, and realizes that it wasn't Dean, but it was the shapeshifter.

"Yeah, it's better. What do you want me to do, cry?" The shapeshifter asks.

"You're not my brother."

The shapeshifter steps a little closer, "Why don't you pull the trigger, then? Hm? 'Cause you're not sure. Dude, you know me."

"Sam, we can't kill him." Isabeau reminds him. The shapeshifter knew where Dean was. Shot him and who knows where Dean is.

"Don't." Sam threatens.

The shapeshifter pauses before hitting Sam twice with a crowbar.

"Sam!" Isabeau shouts, as Sam falls to the ground unconscious. Isabeau kneels down to Sam's body, cradling his face in her hands. "Sam…"

"Enough of that." The shapeshifter growls and reaches out, grabbing a fist full of Isabeau's hair. He yanks her to her feet and slams her head against the top of the impala, not hard enough to knock her unconscious, but enough to send her into a daze. There's a gash on her forehead from the force and the blood is dripping down the side of her face.

He presses his body up against her back, pinning her to the impala and with one hand, the shapeshifter holds her hands behind her back and is still holding onto her hair with the other.

The shapeshifter smirks at her, "Sorry about that sweetheart. I didn't want to hurt that pretty face."

"What did you do with Dean?" She growls out, her eyes flickering in between a fiery orange and her regular blue.

The shapeshifter's eyes glow silver, "I don't want to hurt you… at least not yet sweetheart." The shapeshifter doesn't answer her question.

The shapeshifter growls out, forcing her to crane her neck to the side. He leans his face into her exposed neck, starts kissing and biting it lightly. He presses up harder against her, "You feel that? Do you know what you do to Dean? Hell, do you know what you're doing me sweetheart?"

"You're disgusting." Isabeau winces out as he pulls on her hair again.

Suddenly, the shapeshifter is thrown back a couple feet away from Isabeau. "Hands off." Isabeau leans against the impala and turns her head to the owner of the voice. A woman stands a few feet away, her hand outstretched and her eyes glowing violet. She has black hair that is short with bangs, and her glowing violet eyes turned into their normal brown.

She smiles faintly at the woman who threw the shapeshifter off of her, "Skylar… what took you so long?"

Skylar runs up to Isabeau, throwing Isabeau's arm over her shoulder, "Come on, Isa."

"You bitch!" The shapeshifter screams out.

"Run!" Skylar screams to Isabeau, the two of them run away from the shapeshifter and head down a crowded street.

Skylar lets go of Isabeau, both turning to look behind them. The shapeshifter wasn't following them.

"Didn't tell me there was a shapeshifter in town?" Skylar asks Isabeau.

Isabeau gives her a look, "Didn't have the time." The two start walking down the street. "Where are you staying?"

"Motel a couple blocks up. Finished my salt n' burn this afternoon. Tried to call you, but none of my calls were going through." Skylar explains.

"Yeah, the shapeshifter has himself set up in the sewers. No reception whatsoever down there. He probably took Sam and Dean back down to the sewers. He can't keep on being Dean without them." Isabeau tells her.

Skylar sighs, "Well, I'm packing."

"Same. Need anything from me?"

Skylar smiles, "Beautiful, I've been you before. I think I got it."

* * *

Sam wakes up in the sewers, his neck, torso and hands are bound to a metal post. The shapeshifter walks over to him and backhands him.

Sam groans, "Where is he? Where's Dean?"

"I wouldn't worry about him. I'd worry about you." The shapeshifter says.

"Where is he?" Sam asks again.

"You don't really wanna know."

Sam's eyes widen, he was knocked unconscious before he could tell Isabeau to run. "Beau… Where is Isabeau?"

The shapeshifter frowns, "Don't worry, Isabeau got away with the help of her friend." He turns to Sam with a smirk, "Too bad really. I was having fun with her."

Sam glares at the shapeshifter, his jaw almost unhinging from anger. The shapeshifter chuckles, "I swear, the more I learn about you and your family… I thought I came from a bad background." He walks away.

"What do you mean, learn?" Sam asks.

The shapeshifter stops. He grabs his head in pain and grimaces. Sam looks at the shapeshifter, confused.

The shapeshifter relaxes and looks at Sam. "He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home. I mean, I had to stay home. With Dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?"

"Oh and Isabeau, can't forget about the woman that stole both of our hearts. She's a supernatural being, something we are trained to kill, but everyone who comes across her path can't. She's… special. And I'm waiting for you to move on so we can tell her we love her. I wanted to run away with her, Sam. But I didn't because of you."

Sam glares at him, "Where is my brother?"

The shapeshifter leans in close to Sam, "I am your brother. See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave me. Even Isabeau." He backs away.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asks.

"You left. Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothin', just poof. Left me with your sorry ass." He grabs a sheet.

"But, still, this life? It's not without its perks." He laughs. "I meet the nicest people…Isabeau. My girl, _our_ girl! The minute I took her away from home, I wanted to make love to her that very night. I've always loved her and I know that you have too. Nobody can have her apart from us." He pauses, "I didn't exactly like the way little Becky was looking at her. Maybe I should teach her a lesson? Not to touch what doesn't belong to her. Let's see what happens." He smiles and covers Sam with the sheet.

* * *

Isabeau grunts as she steps down into the sewers, Skylar right behind her. Isabeau shines her flashlight down one of the tunnels, "Alright, I'll take this tunnel, you take the other one."

Skylar nods, "Okay, time to get into character." Skylar's eyes glow silver and her entire body ripples, her appearance changes right before Isabeau's eyes. Skylar wasn't like any other shapeshifter, she didn't need to shed her skin to change into other people.

A few seconds later, Isabeau is staring at an exact copy of herself. "Damn, I look like shit."

Skylar, who shape-shifted into Isabeau, laughs. "Yeah, you feel like shit too."

Isabeau rolls her eyes, both of them pulling out their guns at the same time. "Good luck." They said in unison.

Isabeau turns away, readying her gun and walks throughout the tunnels, hoping to find Sam and Dean unharmed.

* * *

Sam is trying to get out of his ropes but fails, "Damn it." He hears movement in another area of the room, and he hears someone coughing.

"That better be you, Sam, and not that freak of nature." Dean calls out from under a sheet.

Sam laughs, "Yeah, it's me. He went to Rebecca's, lookin' like you."

Dean manages to uncover himself from the sheet, "Well, he's not stupid. He picked the handsome one."

Sam gives him a confused look, then continues to work through his ropes.

Dean looks around, "Where's Isabeau? Please tell me he didn't do anything to her?"

"No," Sam grunts out, "She got away. He said some friend of hers saved her before he could…"

"Bring her down here with us?"

Sam pauses, "He touched her, Dean."

Dean fumes, working to get his ropes off, "I'm gonna kill him."

The two freeze as they hear the sound of footsteps coming toward them. Sam looks over at the tunnel next to him, a shadow casting itself on the metal walls.

"Who is it?" Dean asks.

Sam's brow furrows as the person comes out from the shadows. A smile stretches over Sam's face, "Isabeau!"

"Beau!" Dean exclaims from his spot.

Isabeau readies her gun, glancing over at Sam and scans the area around her, "Where is he?"

Sam shakes his head, "He's gone."

"Isabeau, where-"

"Skylar!" Isabeau comes running in from Dean's side, her own gun at the ready. Dean's eyes widen in shock. "What the?"

Sam and Dean look back and forth at both Isabeau's, they were identical. "Not good." Sam says.

The Isabeau standing in front of Dean, puts her gun in the back of her pants and pulls out a knife. "Skylar, I think we're good. You can stop playing me."

The other Isabeau frowns, putting away her gun, "Oh, alright." Her eyes glow silver and her appearance ripples once again, changing from Isabeau and back to her own body. "It's been a while since I've been you." Skylar says.

Sam looks at her in confusion as Isabeau cuts away at Dean's ropes, "You're Skylar? You're the friend that saved Isabeau from the shapeshifter?"

Skylar nods, "The one and only."

Isabeau gets Dean free from his ropes and wakes over to Sam to do the same. Dean stands behind Isabeau and nods at Skylar, "Thank you."

Skylar waves a hand at him, "Anything for Isabeau." She pauses, eyeing Dean, "Gotta say, the shapeshifter made you out to be a complete and utter dick."

"What?"

Isabeau grunts as she cuts the last bit of Sam's ropes, moving over to Skylar's side. Sam pulls them off of him and stands up next to Dean.

"He was a carbon copy of you Dean." Isabeau says, placing her knife back in her boot. Sam and Dean look at her wounds. Dried blood was on the side of her face, the bruise around her eyes was becoming worse and she looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment.

Sam speaks up, "Yeah, that's the thing. He didn't just look like you, he was you. Or he was becoming you."

"What do you mean?" Dean asks.

"I don't know, it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories." Sam says.

"You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?"

Skylar laughs, "Yeah, somethin' like that. Shapeshifters keep the person they're copying alive until they're done with being them. It's like a psychic connection. They also take objects from the person to strengthen that connection."

"But you were able to change into Isabeau without shedding your skin or even taking something of hers." Dean brings up.

Skylar and Isabeau glance at each other, "Remember that I told you that Skylar is half shapeshifter? She's half witch as well, the genetics from both sides mix and create something new. Skylar can just look at a person or think of them and she can turn into them. No skin shedding or taking items required."

Skylar takes a deep breath, "Come on, I wanna patch this one up and then get this bastard."

Sam nods his head, "Yeah. Come on, we gotta go. He's probably at Rebecca's already."

* * *

Sam, Dean, Isabeau and Skylar all climb out of the sewers that lead out into an alley. "Come on. We gotta find a phone, call the police." Sam says.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're gonna put an APB out on me?" Dean asks.

Sam shrugs, "Sorry."

Skylar takes the lead, "This way." All of them start running down the street.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau, Skylar and Sam are standing in front of a store window, watching a news report that is being shown on a display of televisions.

"An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where a S.W.A.T team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home." The reporter says and a sketch of Dean appears on the screen.

"Man! That's not even a good picture." Dean says.

Isabeau looks around cautiously, "It's good enough." She walks away, Skylar closely following her.

"Man!' Dean exclaims, him and Sam follow the girls.

The four of them walk down an alley and Dean steps into a puddle, "Come on." He grunt out in annoyance.

Sam glances back at Dean, "They said attempted murder. At least we know—"

"I didn't kill her." Dean says.

"We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right." Sam says.

"All right, but first I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him." Dean fumes.

Isabeau falls into Dean's pace, "You two have no weapons. No silver bullets." She reminds him. All four of them stop.

"Isabeau, the guy's walkin' around with my face, okay, it's a little personal, I wanna find him." Dean didn't add in the fact that the shapeshifter hurting Isabeau was also part of the reason he was so angry.

Isabeau nods, "Okay. Where do we look?"

"Well, we could start with the sewers."

Sam takes a breath, "We have no weapons. He stole our guns, we need more. Isabeau and Skylar can't take care of it on their own." They all pause to think. "The car?" Sam suggests.

"I'm bettin' he drove over to Rebecca's." Dean says.

"The news said he fled on foot. I bet it's still parked there."

Dean clenches his fist, upset, "The thought of him drivin' my car."

"All right, come on." Sam says, both him and Dean walk ahead, taking the lead and Skylar, followed by Isabeau behind them.

"It's killin' me."

"Let it go." Sam tells him.

"Wait." Isabeau calls them and they turn around.

"Isa, what's wrong?" Skylar asks.

Isabeau turns to Skylar, "I want you to head back to your motel room, pack your shit and go a few towns over. I don't want him coming after you. I'll call you when we're done here and we'll meet up with you."

"But, Isa-"

"Don't! Please, just… please." Isabeau begs Skylar.

Skylar reluctantly nods, "Okay. Be careful." She runs away in the other direction, back out into the streets. "Take care of her!" She calls out to Sam and Dean before disappearing.

Isabeau turns and walks up to Sam and Dean.

Sam reached out, lightly touching the gash on her forehead. She winces at the touch, causing Sam to pull his hand away.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Dean growled out.

Isabeau let out a laugh, "He, uh, slammed my head against the impala and um," She pulls aside her shirt and jacket, exposing the right side of her neck to them. Teeth marks littered her neck, "He bit me."

Sam glares down at the marks, "I'm gonna kill him."

Isabeau stares at Sam, "Stand in line. He hurt you and Dean first. Fucker's gonna pay."

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam run around the side of Rebecca's house and see Dean's car parked.

Dean chuckles out, relieved, "Ah, there she is! Finally, something went right tonight." A police car appears and parks next to Dean's car. "Oh, crap."

They turn around, but another police car is parked a few yards away. "This way, this way." Dean moves towards a fence.

"You go. We'll hold 'em off." Sam tells Dean.

"What are you talking about? They'll catch you."

"Look, they can't hold us. Just go, keep out of sight. Meet us at Rebecca's." Isabeau orders him.

Dean starts to climb over the fence. "Dean." Sam calls out. Dean stops and turns around.

"Stay out of the sewers alone." Dean says nothing and hops over the fence. "I mean it!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Dean yells from the other side.

"Don't move! Keep your hands where I can see 'em." The police officer commands Sam and Isabeau. They raise their hands in the air.

* * *

Dean is getting weapons from the trunk, "I'm sorry, Sam. But you know me—I just can't wait." He closes the trunk and walks away, making his way down to the sewers.

Dean is looking around and he comes across a chamber filled with candles and chains. Revolting piles of skin and blood are on the floor.

Dean hears a noise and moves to another area of the sewer. He sees a large figure covered with a sheet. He removes it and sees Rebecca. Her hands and feet are bound together with rope.

"Rebecca?"

* * *

After the police, Sam and Isabeau head over to Rebecca's and are sitting, having a beer. They're talking with the shapeshifter, who is in the form of Rebecca.

"So, say this shapeshifter is real. By the way, you know you're crazy? But, um, say it is real. How do you stop it?" She asks, replacing Sam and Isabeau's empty beer bottles with new ones.

Isabeau took hers with a smile, the dried blood was now gone and had butterfly strips holding the gash on her forehead together. The bruise around her eye swelled down, but was purple. Same thing with the bite marks on her neck.

Sam takes his, "Thanks." He sighs, "Silver bullet to the heart."

She chuckles, "You are crazy." She hits them over the head with the empty bottles. They fall over, unconscious and the shapeshifter's eyes momentarily glow silver.

* * *

Dean is untying Rebecca's ropes, "What happened?"

Rebecca cries, "I was walking home, and everything just went white. Someone hit me over the head, and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me. I don't know, how is that even possible?"

"Okay, okay. It's okay." He finishes untying her, "Come on. Can you walk?" She nods.

"Okay, we've gotta hurry. Sam and Isabeau went to see you."

* * *

The shapeshifter has changed back into the form of Dean. He finishes tying up Sam's hands and feet, then starts walking around the kitchen. Isabeau was lying unconscious on top of the pool table in the living room, her hands and feet bound as well.

Sam grunts, "What are you gonna do to us?"

"Oh, I'm not gonna do anything. Dean will, though."

Sam laughs, "They'll never catch him."

"Oh, doesn't matter." The shapeshifter's eyes glow silver. "Murder in the first of his own brother? He'll be hunted the rest of his life." He picks up a sharp knife and examines it.

Sam notices that he didn't say anything about killing Isabeau.

The shapeshifter moves Sam to the living room, laying him next to the pool table. Sam looks up at Isabeau, he only guessed the reason why she still hasn't come to was the multiple bashes to the head in the past 24 hours.

The shapeshifter makes himself a drink, "I must say, I will be sorry to lose this skin. Your brother's got a lot of good qualities. You should appreciate him more than you do." He pauses, "Cheers."

He takes a drink, then picks up the knife from the kitchen and sticks it into the edge of the pool table, right next to Isabeau's head.

The shapeshifter smirks, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, "And this one, little Isabeau. I think I'm gonna keep her for a bit. Play around with her..."

He looks over to Sam who was fuming at his words. "See how loud she can scream."

"You son of a bitch." Sam growls out, lifts his legs and kicks the shapeshifter, who falls to the ground. Sam quickly sits up and moves his hands up and down on the blade of the knife and his ropes break apart.

The shapeshifter gets up, and Sam takes the knife and swings at him. The shapeshifter grabs Sam's arm in mid-swing and twists it. Sam falls to the ground.

The shapeshifter shakes his head, "Oh, you son of a bitch."

He and Sam start to fight and Sam tries to pin him down. "Not bad, little brother."

"You're not him." They continue to fight and the shapeshifter finally throws Sam into a bookshelf. It falls apart, and books fall on top of Sam. Sam struggles to get up.

"Even when we were kids, I always kicked your ass." The shapeshifter grabs a pool cue and swings at Sam, but misses and hits a light fixture. The two go back to fighting for several more minutes, Sam tries his best to avoid going near Isabeau and finally, they fall onto a coffee table.

The shapeshifter punches Sam a couple of times and pins him to the floor and starts to choke him.

"Hey!" The shapeshifter turns to see Dean and gets off of Sam, who struggled to get air back into his lungs.

The shapeshifter moves over to Isabeau, grabs a fistful of her hair, yanks her unconscious body in front of his own and presses the knife to her neck. He tsks at Dean. "Shoot and I'll slit Isabeau's neck."

Dean clenches his teeth, the gun still pointed at the shapeshifter. "Oh but you won't take chance will you? You would never put Isabeau at risk." Sam gets up, and stands next to Dean, glaring at the shapeshifter.

"Neither of you will. Gotta say, you two caught a pretty one. Both of you love her, huh? Dean you're not even mad that Sam loves her too. You're not even pissed."

He laughed. "I would be. Someone as special as Isabeau, I'd keep her all to myself." Dean's eyes glanced down at Isabeau's hands as they moved. Her fingers started counting down from five.

5 "But that's the thing. She makes you happy and she makes Sam happy."

4 "That's why you're okay with it."

3 "Well ain't she the lucky one. Two brothers ready to do anything for her."

2 Dean smirked, "Yeah well you forgot one thing."

1 "Isabeau doesn't like anyone who messes with us."

Isabeau's eyes flash open, glowing a fiery orange, and her hair suddenly turns into fire, making the shapeshifter jump away screaming as the fire burns his hand.

"Drop!" Dean yells to Isabeau. Isabeau drops, curling into the pool table as Dean shoots the shapeshifter straight in the heart, twice. The shapeshifter falls to the ground, dead.

"Isabeau!" Sam limps over to Isabeau who sits up from the pool table. "You okay?" Isabeau nods at Sam, frowning at his wounds and the blood running down his face.

"Here." Sam reaches over and grabs the knife, undoing her binds. "Thanks." Isabeau whispers out.

Sam sets the knife aside and immediately pulls Isabeau into a bone crushing hug. Isabeau tightens her arms around him, "I'm okay, Sam. I'm okay."

Sam sighs, "Shut up and let me hold you, hot head." Isabeau laughs a little at him. "Whatever you want, Stretch."

Rebecca enters and sees Sam and Isabeau hugging. She smiles faintly at the two.

Dean walks to the shapeshifter's body and notices the shapeshifter wearing his necklace. Dean yanks it from around the shapeshifter's neck and nods knowingly at Sam, Isabeau and Rebecca.

Dean walks over to Sam and Isabeau. Sam releases Isabeau so Dean can give her a hug as well. Dean sighs into the hug, holding her close.

* * *

Isabeau sighs happily, closing her eyes and basking in the sunlight. Her and Dean are by the car, and he is looking at a map.

Dean looks over at Isabeau, smiling at her, "You good?"

Isabeau hums in content, "Sunlight… missed it from being down on the sewers." She opens her eyes and goes to look at the map with him.

Rebecca and Sam come outside from her house.

"So, this is what you do? You, your brother, and Isabeau—you hunt down these kinds of things?" Rebecca asks Sam.

Sam smiles, "Yeah, pretty much."

"I can't believe it. I mean, I saw it with my own eyes. And, I mean, does everybody at school—nobody knows that you do this?"

Sam shakes his head, "No."

"Did Jessica know?"

Sam looks thoughtful, "No, she didn't."

"Must be lonely."

"Oh, no. No, it's not so bad. Anyway, what can I do? It's my family. And Isabeau." Sam says, placing Isabeau on her own. She was more than family.

Isabeau gives them both a two finger salute.

Rebecca chuckles, "Well, you know, Zack and me, and everybody at school—we really miss you." She hugs him.

"Yeah, me too." Sam says sadly and they pull away.

"Well, will you call sometime?"

Sam sighs, "It might not be for a little while."

Rebecca nods and waves goodbye to Dean and Isabeau. They wave back, and she goes back inside the house. Sam walks over to the car.

Dean puts his map away and moves to the drivers side, "So, what about your friend, Zack?"

Sam moves to the passenger side and Isabeau to the door of the backseat, "Cops are blamin' this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder. They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair, Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with. Yeah, Becca says Zack will be released soon." He smiles.

Dean rolls his eyes and gets in the car.

* * *

Dean glances at Sam, "Sorry, man."

"About what?"

"I really wish things could be different, you know? I wish you could just be….Joe College." Dean admits. Isabeau smiles from the back seat, it made her happy to hear Dean say that.

"No, that's okay. You know, the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in." Isabeau raises a brow at Sam.

"Well, that's 'cause you're a freak." Dean states.

Sam chuckles, "Yeah, thanks."

"Well, I'm a freak, too. I'm right there with ya, all the way."

Sam laughs, "Yeah, I know you are."

Isabeau rests her arms on the back of the front seat, "Then I guess I'm the biggest freak." She says with a smile.

Dean smiles at her, "The best freak though."

Dean presses his lips together, "You know, I gotta say—I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it."

Sam looks at him confused, "Miss what?"

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" The three smile at each other.

"Oh and by the way…" Isabeau smiles, "Mind stopping in Columbia?"

* * *

Isabeau pants, coming down from her high of pleasure. "Holy shit." She breathes out with a chuckle, as Skylar comes out from under the covers, on top of Isabeau, their naked bodies pressing against each other.

Skylar smiles, and leans down to press their lips together. They move in sync, both humming in bliss. Skylar pulls away, "How many times was that?"

"3?"

Skylar shrugs with a chuckle, "Looks like I need to work harder if we wanna break our record." She kisses her way down Isabeau's neck and her chest, leaving a multitude of hickies on her skin.

"Are you really keeping a record of how many times you've made me cum?" Isabeau moans out as Skylar bites and sucks harshly on the top of her breast.

"Of course, beautiful. Need to keep up with Madison." Skylar says.

Isabeau's hand grips onto Skylar's hair as she moves lower and lower down Isabeau's body, "Madison is part succubi, sex is like a walk in the park for her."

Skylar growls, and nips at Isabeau's hips, causing Isabeau to let out a high-pitched yelp. A mark started blooming right about the lone tattoo of a small blacked-out butterfly. Skylar had a matching one on her own hips.

"Don't remind me, she does a number on all of us." She continues marking Isabeau's hips, "Are you ever going to tell them?"

Isabeau takes a deep breath, "What?"

Skylar sits up, straddling Isabeau's hips, "Sam and Dean? You heard what that shapeshifter said. They love you, Isa. Why can't you tell them?"

"I can't, not yet."

Skylar gives Isabeau a look, "Really?"

Isabeau groans, "I know! I should be ecstatic! They love me and my worries should go away, but I can tell they're not ready. Dean is waiting for Sam to give the green light. I can't force a relationship with them right now. I can't do that to them. I can tell Dean wants to say something, but he cares about Sam too much to rush things. I have to respect that. I can't be selfish."

Skylar gives Isabeau a faint smile, "I get it, I do. When the time is right, things will fall into place. Where are they anyways?"

"Uh, a few motel rooms down from yours. I told them you and I had some catching up to do." Isabeau looks over at the alarm clock besides the bed, "I also got a half hour until I have to meet up with them at the diner down the street for lunch and then we're on the road again."

Skylar smirks, "A half hour? Let's see how many times I can make you cum."

"You're evil."

"But you love it, beautiful."

* * *

Isabeau walks into the diner, and smiles as she spots the back of Dean's head and Sam sitting across from. She walks over to the booth, "Sorry I'm late." She was only five minutes late.

"No problem, what were you two -oh!" Dean asks, but stops noticing a collection of hickies trailing from her neck, to her chest and further down.

Sam purses his lips together as Isabeau slides in next to Dean. "Wow." He says.

Isabeau chuckles at their flustered state, "Yeah, uh, Skylar likes to mark up big time."

"Skylar is another friend with benefits?" Dean asks, taking a sip of his water. The two haven't ordered yet.

Isabeau nods, "Yup."

Sam leans forward, "I know that you said that there's other hybrids that you know, but how many of you guys are there?"

Isabeau thinks for a moment, "Fifteen of us."

Sam nods, "You said that genetics from both sides combine to create something new?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, all of us are natural born witches and the other part of us is something else. Whatever that other half is, changes and sort of evolves. We become stronger than both of our parents combined."

Isabeau pauses, "I never realized that I've never really explained the whole, 'being a hybrid', to you guys. It was just plain and simple, but when I found the others, things started to get complicated."

Dean furrows his brow, "How so?"

She sighs, "We noticed that there was a pattern with all of us. Our mothers are some sort of supernatural creature and our fathers are all natural born witches. And we were all born in the same year. We still don't know why or how that happened, but it's too much of a coincidence."

"It almost sounds planned?" Sam suggests.

Isabeau shrugs and shakes her head, "I don't know. But I don't want to think about that now. All I want to think about is pancakes with strawberry syrup and a vanilla milkshake."

Isabeau flips open the menu, on the hunt for those specific items.

Dean chuckles, him and Sam opening their own menu's, "It's almost lunch, Beau."

Isabeau points her thumb over at a sign that hung over the counter, "Breakfast all day… Fuck. Never-mind, they have philly cheese steak and that is calling my name." She closes her menu. "Still getting that milkshake though."

Sam and Dean laugh at Isabeau, amused by her antics. They ordered their food and once they got it; for the first time in a long time, the three had a lunch where there was no talk of hunting. They joked and laughed, recalling stories from their childhood.

"By the way, how many of the girls are you friends with benefits with?" Dean asks.

Sam rolls his eyes at his brother, but he was curious himself.

Isabeau swallows down a bite of her food, "I thought I told you already? All fifteen of my girls."

Sam and Dean stare at her with wide eyes. "What?"

Isabeau bursts out laughing at their reaction. She waves her hands at them, "Again, none of us are together, well, Belle and Alia are dating and Carmen has a girlfriend in Ireland."

"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days." Dean states.

Isabeau snorts, and looks at Sam, winking at him, "Don't worry, my sweet ass isn't taken…" She glances at Dean, winking at him as well, "Yet."


	16. Hook Man Pt.1

Isabeau and Dean are sitting at a table for an outdoor cafe while Sam is on the payphone.

Isabeau's eyes glance up at Dean's face as he's working on the laptop. She looks back down at the sketchbook in her hand, moving her pencil to copy Dean's facial features.

"You getting my good side?" Dean asks.

Isabeau chuckles, "Every side is your good side."

Dean looks at her, "That's very flattering of you."

Isabeau smiles, reaching up and grabs Dean's chin, turning his head back towards the computer, "Be a good model and keep looking at that computer."

"We can get a motel room and I can be an even better model." Dean suggests.

"You would like that wouldn't you?"

"Very much."

Isabeau purses her lips, looking back down at her sketchbook, "Maybe one day."

Dean groans, "Don't tease me like that, sweetheart."

Isabeau laughs, "I'm gonna tease you until the day I die, Dearie. Deal with it."

"Alright, thank you for your time." Sam hangs up the payphone and walks back to the table.

"Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is gettin' cold over here, Francis." Dean says.

"Bite me." Sam sits down.

Isabeau hums with a smirk, not looking up from her sketchbook, "Kinky."

Dean doesn't look up from the laptop, "So, anything?"

Sam shakes his head, "I had 'em check the FBI's Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe's fitting Dad's description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations."

Dean looks over, "Sam, I'm tellin' ya, I don't think Dad wants to be found." Sam looks away, disappointed. Isabeau closes up her book and puts it away in her bag.

"Check this out." Dean shows Sam an article on the laptop. "It's a news item out of Planes Courier. Ankeny, Iowa. It's only about a hundred miles from here."

"'The mutilated body was found near the victim's car, parked on 9 Mile Road.'" Sam reads the article aloud.

"Keep reading." Dean says, taking a sip of his drink.

Sam does so, "'Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible.'"

Isabeau leans on the table, "Could be something interesting."

Sam looks at her, "Or it could be nothing at all. One freaked out witness who didn't see anything? Doesn't mean it's the Invisible Man."

"But what if it is? Dad would check it out." Dean says.

* * *

The three stop at the fraternity where the victim, Rich, lived. The other frat brothers look over at the impala, confused, and Sam, Isabeau and Dean get out of the car.

"One more time, why are we here?" Sam asks.

"Victim lived here." Dean answers. The three walk up to some guys fixing a car. "Nice wheels." Dean says.

They look at him strangely. "We're your fraternity brothers. From Ohio. We're new in town. Transfers. Looking for a place to stay." Dean grins.

"What about her?" One of them asks.

The boys try to come up with some kind of answer, but Isabeau beats them to it. She wraps her arm around Sam's waist, bringing herself close to his side. She smiles, "I'm just here to make sure my boyfriend and his brother settle in."

Isabeau looks up at Sam, "Right, honey?" She adds in the nickname to sell her act.

Sam hesitates a few seconds before smiling himself, and wraps his arm around her, "That's right, love."

Sam looks back at the frat boys, "I hope that's not a problem with you guys?"

* * *

"Honey?" Dean asks, a little disgusted by the nicknames. The three walk up the stairs towards the room they were directed to.

Isabeau laughed, "Don't worry, Dean. You'll be on the receiving end of those nicknames next time I gotta play girlfriend."

Sam and Dean share a look, "Next time?" Dean whispers to Sam with a smile.

Sam rolled his eyes, but couldn't help, but smile. Hearing Isabeau call him her boyfriend; it sounded nice, but a part of him couldn't accept it, not yet.

They walk up to the fraternity dorm room where they see a shirtless frat boy in yellow shorts and is painting his face and body purple. Dean knocks on his door.

The frat boy turns to them, "Who are you?"

"We're your new roommates." Dean smiles and walks over to the boy, Isabeau and Sam following.

The boy holds the brush and paint can out to Dean, "Do me a favor? Get my back. Big game today."

Dean points to Isabeau, "She's the artist. Things she can do with a brush."

Isabeau, mortified, takes the brush and can. Sam stays behind Isabeau and Dean sits on a chair and picks up a magazine. "So," Dean looks at the name on the magazine, "Murph. Is it true?"

"What?" Murph asks.

"We heard one of the guys around here got killed last week." Dean says.

"Yeah." Murph says sadly.

Isabeau starts painting Murph's back, "What happened?"

"They're saying some psycho with a knife. Maybe a drifter passing through. Rich was a good guy." Murph explains.

"Rich he was with somebody?" Sam asks.

"Not just somebody. Lori Sorensen." Murph turns to Sam, not without looking Isabeau up and down. Sam and Isabeau purse their lips, not knowing who that is.

"Who's Lori Sorensen?" Dean asks before pointing to a spot on Murph, "You missed a spot. Just down there on the back."

Isabeau looks at him, annoyed. Dean grins and Sam steps closer, placing his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them. Isabeau slightly leans back into Sam, enjoying the touch.

"Lori's a freshman. She's a local. Super hot. And get this: she's a reverend's daughter." Murph says.

Dean leans forward, "You wouldn't happen to know which church, would ya?"

* * *

"Our hearts go out to the family of a young man who perished. And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well because I believe he died trying to protect my daughter." Reverend Sorensen speaks to the congregation in the church.

His daughter, Lori, looks embarrassed at being mentioned. "And now, as time heals all our wounds, we should reflect on what this tragedy means. To us, as a church."

Isabeau, Sam and Dean enter and the door slams behind them. The congregation goes silent and turns to look at them.

"...as a community, and as a family. The loss of a young person is particularly tragic. A life unlived is the saddest of passings." The reverend continues.

Sam, Isabeau and Dean sit down. Isabeau fidgets in her seat, but stops, seeing Lori staring at her. Isabeau smiles weakly at her. Lori turns away.

"So, please, let us pray. For peace, for guidance, and for the power to protect our children." Everyone bows their head in prayer, except Dean and Isabeau. Sam elbows Dean, and he, noticing everyone else, does the same.

Isabeau reluctantly bows her head in prayer, but she stares down at the rosary wrapped around her wrist. Last time she was in a church was on a hunt and it wasn't pretty.

* * *

_**March 20th, 2002** _

_19-year-old Isabeau is thrown against the church altar and her body falls to the floor. She groans as she tries to pull her body up._

" _You're a sin. You will burn in hell for what you are!" The ghost of Father Randall, who died decades ago, screamed at Isabeau. He was killing off men and women who identified within the LGBT community, seeing them as sinful and work of the devil._

_Isabeau leans up against the altar, blood dripping down her face and she chuckles, "I don't know about 'burning' in hell, but I do have friends in low places."_

_He plunges her hand into her chest, causing her to scream out in pain, feeling like she was being pulled apart from the inside out._

_Suddenly he pulls away in confusion. Isabeau gasps, clutching her chest as the pain slowly goes away._

_Father Randall screams in agony as he is burnt in front of her eyes and is no more._

" _Just in time." Skylar comes running in and crouches down next to Isabeau._

_Isabeau chuckles, "Yeah, could've been ten seconds earlier."_

_Skylar shakes her head, "Could've opted out for being the bait. Any of us could've done it."_

_Isabeau waves a hand at her and Skylar helps her to her feet, "It was my turn. Carmen is still recovering from last week's hunt."_

_The two walked out of the church and decided from that day on; churches were a no-go._

* * *

The mass ended and everyone walked outside.

Sam, Isabeau and Dean walk up to Lori.

"Are you Lori?" Sam asks.

Lori turns around, "Yeah."

"My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean. And our friend, Isabeau." Sam introduces themselves.

Dean and Isabeau wave, "Hi."

"We just transferred here to the university." Sam explains.

Lori nods, "I saw you inside."

"We don't wanna bother you. We just heard about what happened and…" Isabeau trailed off.

"We wanted to say how sorry we were." Dean says.

"I kind of know what you're going through. I-I saw someone..get hurt once. It's something you don't forget." Sam explains, thinking back to Jessica.

Lori nods slightly and Reverend Sorensen walks up to them.

"Dad, um, this is Sam, Isabeau and Dean. They're new students." Lori introduces them to her father.

Dean shakes the reverend's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say, that was an inspiring sermon."

Reverend Sorensen nods, "Thank you very much. It's so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord's message."

Isabeau chuckles, "Listen, uh, we're new in town, actually." She and Dean lead Reverend Sorensen away from Sam and Lori. "And, uh, we were looking for a, um, a church group. Especially one that is welcoming to young couples."

Isabeau smiles at Reverend Sorensen, slipping her arm around Dean's side, like she did with Sam previously. Dean smiles brightly, wrapping his arm around her own waist, pulling her close.

The Reverend smiles at the two, "Of course, we are welcoming to everyone here. There are a few other couples from the college that take part in the church." He glances down, noticing Isabeau's rosary.

"Beautiful rosary. Were you a part of your church back home?" The Reverend asks. Her rosary was a little old fashioned. While most people had rosary made of plastic, wood or glass, her rosary was made from roses.

Isabeau hesitates, "Forgive me, but, um, my church back home wasn't exactly accepting of me when I was younger." Dean squeezes Isabeau's waist. Dean knew about the church that was in Isabeau's town. The harassment from the members of the church because of her sexuality; it was wrong.

"The rosary was my grandfather's, I wear them in his honor."

The Reverend nods, understanding, "Well you won't have to worry about anything like that here. We are more progressive than most churches, we accept everyone." Isabeau smiles. It made her happy that slowly, but surely, churches were beginning to accept everyone through their doors.

"Thank you, Reverend. That's a relief to the both of us." Dean says to him. Dean could never understand why people hate others because of their sexuality. It pissed him off to no end when Isabeau would be insulted in front of him. He loves Isabeau, and her sexuality was just in the long list of things that he loves.

* * *

The three walk through the local library, "So you believe her?" Dean asks.

"I do." Sam responds.

Dean was going to make a remark but decided against it, "Yeah, so?"

"So, there's something in her eyes. And listen to this: she heard scratching on the roof. Found the bloody body suspended upside down over the car." Sam tells them what Lori told him as they walk down an aisle.

Dean stops, "Wait, the body suspended? That sounds like the-"

"Yeah, I know, the Hook Man legend." Sam finishes.

Isabeau tilts her head, "That's one of the most famous urban legends ever. You don't think that we're dealing with _the_ Hook Man?"

Sam shakes his head, "Every urban legend has a source. A place where it all began."

"Yeah, but what about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures and the invisible killer?" Dean asks.

"Well, maybe the Hook Man isn't a man at all. What if it's some kind of spirit?" Isabeau suggests.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam are sitting at a table in the library and the librarian places a few big boxes in front of them, "Here you go. Arrest records going back to 1851."

Dean blows some dust off a box and coughs, "Thanks."

"Ok." The librarian walks away.

Sam wipes the top of the other box as well, a layer of dust on his hand. "So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh?" Dean asks Sam and Isabeau.

Isabeau opens one of the boxes with a smile, "Welcome to higher education."

Hours later, all of them are still looking for information.

"Hey, check this out." Sam calls Isabeau and Dean over. "1862. A preacher named Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. Looks like he was so angry over the red light district in town that one night he killed 13 prostitutes. Uh, right here, some of the deceased were found in their bed, sheets soaked with blood. Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh."

Dean looks at another page, "Get this, the murder weapon? Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook."

Isabeau points to another page, "Look where all this happened."

Dean reads, "9 Mile Road."

"Same place where the frat boy was killed." Sam makes the connection.

"Nice job, Dr. Venkmen." Dean says impressed. "Let's check it out." Sam and Isabeau gather all the research and they leave.

* * *

Sam, Dean and Isabeau drive up to 9 Mile Road. They get out of the car.

Dean opens the trunk and hands Sam a rifle, "Here you go."

"If it is a spirit, buckshot won't do much good." Sam says.

"Yeah, rock salt." Dean hands shells full of rock salt to Sam.

"Huh. Salt being a spirit deterrent." Sam says.

Dean takes out another rifle with rock salt and Isabeau takes a coil of rope and shuts the trunk.

"Yeah. It won't kill 'em. But it'll slow 'em down." Isabeau states. They start walking towards the trees.

"That's pretty good. You and Dad think of this?" Sam asks Dean.

"I told you. You don't have to be a college graduate to be a genius. Though Isabeau knew about it way before we did." Dean says.

Isabeau smiles, "Too many hunts involving ghosts." She laughed, "Figured it out when I threw a salt shaker at one."

Sam looks at her amused, "A salt shaker?"

"It was the closest thing to me!"

They hear noises among the trees and stop walking. Sam and Dean raise their guns and look around.

"Over there. Over there." Dean whispers, him and Sam aim their guns and cocks it. A figure comes out from behind the trees and it is a sheriff.

"Put the guns down now! Now! Put your hands behind your head." The sheriff yells at them.

"W-w-wait, okay, okay!" Isabeau drops the rope and the boys drop their guns.

"Now get down on your knees. Come on, do it! On your knees!" They follow the sheriffs orders, and fall to their knees, "Now get down on your bellies. Come on, do it!"

All three of them lay on their stomachs, "They had the guns!" Isabeau says.

* * *

Isabeau, Dean and Sam exit the police department, it is now daytime.

Isabeau smiles, "Saved your asses! Talked the sheriff down to a fine. Dude, I am Matlock."

Sam looks at her in curiosity, "But how?"

Isabeau chuckles, "I told him you were dumb-ass pledges and that I was hazing you two."

"What about the shotgun?" Dean asks.

"I said that you were hunting ghosts and the spirits were repelled by rock salt. You know, typical Hell Week prank." Isabeau smiles, thinking back to her own college antics.

Sam and Dean share a smile, "And he believed you?" Sam asks.

Dean turns to Sam, "Well, you look like a dumb-ass pledge."

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "The art of persuasion boys."

The three come up to the impala and seconds later, several sheriffs run out of the building and speed away in police cars. They all exchange a look.

* * *

Sam, Dean and Isabeau drive by Lori's sorority, seeing Lori wrapped in a blanket, and sitting in the back of a parked ambulance. They look at her as they drive by.

Dean parks their car on another street. They get out and walk around to the back of Lori's sorority.

"Why would the Hook Man come here? This is a long way from 9 Mile Road." Sam asks.

"Maybe he's not haunting the scene of his crime. Maybe it's about something else." Dean suggests.

Two sorority girls come out the side entrance of the building, but they don't see Dean, Isabeau and Sam. They lean against the side of the house next to some bushes to hide themselves.

Dean smiles, "Dude, sorority girls! Think we'll see a naked pillow fight?"

Isabeau smiles, leaning over Dean's shoulder to see the two girls, "I'd be in on that." She whispers.

Dean feels a shiver running up his spine, she just had to whisper that in his ear. That was unfair.

Isabeau backs up and the two turn around and see Sam trying to climb onto the balcony of the house. Dean helps him up, climbs up himself and gives Isabeau a hand as well. Once they are up there, they sneak in Lori's window.

Dean falls on top of Sam while climbing through the window, "Oh, sorry!"

"Hey, be quiet." Sam scolds Dean.

"Me be quiet? You be quiet!" Dean counters back.

"Both of you be quiet!" Isabeau scolds the two of them, who climbed in without any problems.

They end up in Lori's walk-in closet and Dean closes the window. Sam opens the door slightly and sees another sheriff leaving the bedroom. Sam waits until the sheriff goes downstairs and then opens the closet door. They walk into Lori's bedroom, and see the writing on the wall.

"'Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?' That's right out of the legend." Isabeau reads the writing on the wall.

"Yeah, that's classic Hook Man all right." Dean says and he taps his nose. "It's definitely a spirit."

"Yeah, I've never smelled ozone this strong before." Sam says.

Dean moves over to the window.

"Hey, come here." Sam calls Dean. Dean walks back over to Sam and Isabeau.

Isabeau points to the cross symbol beneath the writing, "Does that look familiar to you?"

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam are sitting on the impala's hood and are looking at a picture of the cross symbol that they found during their research

"It's the same symbol. Seems like it is the spirit of Jacob Karns." Sam concludes.

"All right, let's find the dude's grave, salt and burn the bones, and put him down." Dean says.

Sam reads from the paper, "'After execution, Jacob Karns was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery. In an unmarked grave.'" All three look annoyed.

Isabeau groans, "Super." They get up from the hood and walk to the car doors.

"Ok. So we know it's Jacob Karns. But we still don't know where he'll manifest next. Or why." Sam says, leaning on the impala.

Dean picks off a ticket from the windshield wipers. Isabeau reaches her hand out, gesturing for him to hand her the ticket.

He does and she crumbles it up, lighting it on fire and letting it's ashes fall to the ground. "I'll take a wild guess about why. I think your little friend Lori has something to do with this." She says to Sam and they get in the car.


	17. Hook Man Pt.2

They end up at a college party, and Dean walks up to Sam. "Man, you've been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome!" He winks and smiles at a passing girl.

"This wasn't really my experience." Sam says, giving Dean a look.

Dean mentally kicks himself for what he did, "Let me guess. Libraries, studying, straight A's?" Sam nods.

Dean shakes his head, "What a geek. Hey, have you seen Beau?"

Sam shakes his head, slightly worried, "No. I have no idea where she went."

"Hey!" Isabeau walks up to them, smiling brightly, "I forgot how much I missed college! It's almost as good as the parties my friends and I had."

Dean blinked at Isabeau. "You had parties?"

Isabeau nods, "Oh yeah, you kidding? When school work died down a little bit, we had some good times."

Dean laughs and looks back at Sam, "Alright, you do your homework?"

"Yeah. It was bugging me, right? So how is the Hook Man tied up with Lori? So I think I came up with something." Sam unravels a piece of paper, the three walk through the house.

Dean takes the paper, "1932. Clergyman arrested for murder. 1967. Seminarian held in hippie rampage."

They stop in a semi-secluded spot. Sam points at the paper, "There's a pattern here. In both cases, the suspect was a man of religion who openly preached against immorality. And then found himself wanted for killings he claimed were the work of an invisible force. Killings carried out—get this—with a sharp instrument."

"What's the connection to Lori?" Dean asks.

"A man of religion? Who openly preaches against immorality?" Sam explains. Dean suddenly understands and Isabeau nods. "Except maybe this time, instead of saving the whole town, he's just trying to save his only daughter."

Dean nods, "Reverend Sorensen. You think he's summoning the spirit?"

Isabeau takes the paper from Dean's hand, "Maybe. Or, you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?"

Dean points at her, "Yeah, the spirit latches onto the reverend's repressed emotions, feeds off them, yeah, okay."

Sam scoffs, "Without the reverend ever even knowing it."

Isabeau sighs, "Either way, you should keep an eye on Lori tonight." Sam nods, a little confused on why Isabeau was pushing him towards Lori.

"What about you?" Sam asks.

Isabeau pats Dean shoulder, "We're gonna go see if we can find that unmarked grave."

Isabeau gestures towards the door, "After you, Dean."

Dean nods, heading towards the door. Isabeau is about to follow, but Sam stops her.

"Why do you want me to talk with Lori?" He asks.

Isabeau sighs, shoving her hands in her pockets, "I just, uh, it's stupid."

Sam gives her a look, "I doubt that."

Isabeau bites her lip, "I'm just not… It's nothing against Lori, she seems nice and everything, but this whole thing is just really hitting me in a bad spot, and the quickest I get this done with, the better."

Sam nods, understanding. He knew just as much as Dean, if not, even more. He remembers one time that he held onto Isabeau as she cried herself to sleep because of the harassment one night when they were younger.

Isabeau gives him one last smile. She moves close to him and reaches up, placing a light kiss on his cheek. "Be careful."

She walks away, not seeing the smile that stretches across Sam's face.

* * *

Dean and Isabeau headed to the Old North Cemetery. Dean is looking around with a flashlight and Isabeau is holding both of their shovels.

Isabeau stops Dean for a second, "What?" He asks.

Isabeau crouches down and threads her fingers through the tendrils of grass, "Getting some help."

Dean raises a brow at her, "From feeling the ground?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, I guess I forgot to tell you. I can speak to nature, feel it's emotions… This way." Isabeau gets up, and Dean follows her.

"How long have you been able to do that?" Dean asks.

"Couple of years. It started in my freshman year of college." Isabeau explains.

Dean purses his lips in thought, "Wasn't that when you spent the entire year with your Uncle?"

Isabeau chuckles, looking back on that year, "Yeah, that was one eventful year."

They come across a headstone that is engraved with the cross symbol. "Here we go." Dean says.

* * *

Dean and Isabeau have been digging at the unmarked grave for a while.

Dean pauses, "That's it. Next time, Sam gets this job. At least I have a cute girl helping me."

Isabeau wipes away some dirt on her face, "Call me cute one more time, and I think I might just punch you."

Dean chuckles, "Touche." He breaks through the wooden floor of the grave and sees Jacob Karns' remains. "Hello, preacher." He and Isabeau throw their shovels aside.

* * *

Sam is standing out front of Reverend Sorensen's house. Through the window, Sam can see Lori and her father arguing inside.

A little while later, he watches Reverend Sorensen turn out the light and leave the room. Lori comes outside, "I saw you from upstairs. What are you doing here?"

"I'm keeping an eye on the place." Sam answers. Lori looks at him. "I was worried."

"About me?" Lori asks.

Sam smiles weakly, "Yeah. Sorry."

"No, it's cool. I already called the cops." She smiles, sitting down next to Sam and the two laugh. "No, seriously. I think you're sweet. Which is probably why you should run away from me as fast as you can."

"Why would you say that?" Sam asks.

"It's like I'm cursed or something. People around me keep dying." Lori says.

Sam sighs, "I think I know how you feel."

* * *

Isabeau and Dean crawl out of the grave and Dean takes a few items out of his bag. He pours salt and lighter fluid on the preacher's bones.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Dean asks Isabeau.

Isabeau smiles, lifting her hands up and a small ball of fire forms in between them, "Goodbye, preacher." She throws the ball of fire into the grave and watches the bones burn into flames.

Isabeau crouches down and looks up at Dean, "Should've brought stuff to make s'mores."

Dean shakes his head, amused, "You're nuts."

"Aw, but you love it."

* * *

"No one will talk to me anymore. Except you. The sheriff thinks I'm a suspect. And you know what my dad will say? 'Pray. Have faith.' What does he know about faith?" Lori says.

"I heard you guys fighting before."

Lori sighs, "He's seeing a woman. A married woman. I just found out. She comes to our church with her husband. I know her kids. And he talks to me about religion? About morality? It's like, on one hand, you know, just do what you want and be happy. But he taught me, raised me to believe that if you do something wrong you will get punished. I just don't know what to think anymore."

She goes to hug Sam, but he stops her. "Sam?"

Sam shakes his head, "Lori, I can't."

"That someone you lost?" Sam stares at her. Yes, he lost Jessica, but he also has Isabeau. He can't do that to her. "I'm sorry." Lori apologizes.

Reverend Sorensen comes outside, "Lori? Come inside, please."

"I'll come in when I'm ready." Lori tells him angrily. Suddenly, the Hook Man appears behind Reverend Sorensen and puts his hook into his shoulder. The reverend screams and the Hook Man slams the door shut. Sam grabs his gun and runs into the house. He looks around and hears Reverend Sorensen screaming upstairs.

"No! No, please! No!" Reverend Sorensen screams out.

Sam runs upstairs and sees the reverend's bedroom door shutting. He runs into the bedroom and sees the Hook Man standing over Reverend Sorensen, about to put his hook into the reverend. "No! No, no!"

Sam shoots the Hook Man in the side. The Hook Man turns to Sam, who shoots him again. The Hook Man turns to dust and the gun blast shatters the bedroom window.

Lori is running up the stairs, "Dad! Dad!" She bursts through the bedroom door and kneels down next to her dad, "Okay. It's ok, Dad, it's ok. It's ok."

* * *

Reverend Sorensen is in a hospital bed and Lori is standing by his side, while Sam is talking to the sheriff.

"We were just talking. Then Lori's dad came out. And then he appeared." Sam tells him what happened.

"A big man? Carrying a weapon, some kind of hook?" The sheriff asks.

"Yes, sir."

"Ever seen him before?"

Sam turns to the sheriff, shaking his head, "No, sir."

"Son, it seems every time I turn around, I'm seeing you. I suggest you try to stay out of trouble." The sheriff tells him.

Sam nods, "Yes, sir."

Isabeau and Dean walk down the hall but are stopped by two officers.

"No, it's alright, we're with him. That's my brother." Dean tells the officers and then waves to Sam, "Hey! Brother!"

Sam and the sheriff turn to see Dean and Isabeau, both of them smiling.

"Let him through." The two officers let Dean and Isabeau through.

"Thanks." Dean says.

"Go ahead." The sheriff lets Sam go.

Dean, Isabeau and Sam walk towards each other. "You ok?" Isabeau immediately asks Sam.

"Yeah."

"What the hell happened?" Dean asks.

"Hook Man." Sam answers.

"You saw him?" Isabeau asks, surprised.

"Damn right. Why didn't you torch the bones?" Sam asks the two of them.

"What are you talking about, we did. You sure it's the spirit of Jacob Karns?" Dean defends them both.

"It sure as hell looked like him. And that's not all. I don't think the spirit is latching on to the reverend." Sam says.

Isabeau shrugs, "Well, yeah, the guy wouldn't send the Hook Man after himself."

Sam sighs, "I think it's latching onto Lori. Last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman."

"So what?" Dean asks, not understanding what Sam was implying.

Isabeau's jaw ticks, "So she's upset about it. She's upset about the immorality of it."

Sam nods at Isabeau, "She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished."

"Ok, so she's conflicted. And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching on to repress the emotions and maybe he's doing the punishing for her, huh?" Dean pieces things together.

"Right. Rich comes on too strong, Taylor tries to make her into a party girl, Dad has an affair." Sam brings up all the things that caused the Hook Man to go after those people.

"Remind me not to piss this girl off. But we burned those bones, we buried them in salt, why didn't that stop him?" Dean asks.

Sam shakes his head, "You must have missed something."

Isabeau thinks about it for a moment, "No. We burned everything in that coffin."

"Did you get the hook?"

"The hook?" Dean asks.

"Well, it was the murder weapon, and in a way, it was part of him."

"So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power." Dean says.

"So if we find the hook…" Sam trails off.

"We stop the Hook Man." Both Sam and Dean say in unison and they smile at each other.

Isabeau shakes her head and smiles, "That'll never get old."

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean headed back to the library and are looking through more papers.

"Here's something, I think. Log book, Iowa State Penitentiary. Karns, Jacob. Personal affects: disposition thereof." Dean reads from the book.

"Does it mention the hook?" Isabeau asks.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean continues reading, "Upon execution, all earthly items shall be remanded to the prisoner's house of worship, St. Barnabas Church."

"Isn't that where Lori's father preaches?" Sam asks.

"Yeah."

Sam scoffs, "Where Lori lives?"

"Maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverends' daughters for the past 200 years." Dean says.

Isabeau huffs, "Yeah, but if the hook were at the church or Lori's house, don't you think someone might've seen it? I mean, a bloodstained, silver-handled hook? That's hard to miss."

Dean gets up, "Check the church records."

Later on, Sam finds out what happens to the hook, "St. Barnabas donations, 1862. Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary. Reforged." Sam sighs, "They melted it down. Made it into something else."

* * *

They drive up to St. Barnabas Church. Dean parks the car and they get out.

"Alright, we can't take any chances. Anything silver goes in the fire." Dean says.

"I agree. So, Lori's still at the hospital. We'll have to break in." Sam says.

"Alright, take your pick."

"I'll take the house." Isabeau speaks up first.

"Ok. Sam?" Dean smiles at her and then asks his brother.

"I'll go with Beau." Sam says. He and Isabeau begin walking towards Reverend Sorensen's house. "Hey." They turn around. "Stay out of her underwear drawer."

Isabeau flips him off with a smile and the two walk towards the house.

* * *

Dean is throwing everything silver into the old furnace of the church in the basement. Sam and Isabeau come downstairs with a bag of things from Lori's house.

"We got everything that even looked silver." Sam says.

"Better safe than sorry." Dean says. They throw everything into the fire. Suddenly, they hear footsteps above them.

"Move, move." Dean takes his gun out and goes upstairs with Sam and Isabeau behind him.

Dean, Sam and Isabeau see that Lori is sitting in a pew alone, crying. Dean lowers his gun and goes back downstairs and Isabeau follows, closing the door behind her.

"How are you doing?" Dean asks her as they continue putting the rest of the silver they collected into the fire.

Isabeau shrugs, "Okay, I guess. Kind of made it a thing not to go into churches, but if I have to, I will."

Dean throws the last piece of silver into the fire, "It got pretty bad back home, huh?"

Isabeau smiles sadly, "It got worse before it got better. The church near home was under someone new and I guess people are just changing with the times. Not everyone obviously, but the new priest welcomed me with open arms. He understood that it would take time for me to even step foot in the church."

Dean stares at Isabeau and grabs her hand, "That's good. Still feels weird though?"

Isabeau chuckles and looks up at him, "Oh yeah, very." She smiles softly, "Thank you, by the way."

Dean looks at her confused, "For what?"

Isabeau shrugs, "Just thank you. You and Sam know how much being here bothers me and you both have been comforting throughout this whole time." She steps closer, reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek.

She pulls away and Dean stares at her. His eyes soften and cups her cheeks in his hands. Dean tilts his head down and places a soft kiss on her forehead, "Anything for you, Beau. We will always be there for you."

Suddenly, the screams of Lori and Sam pull the two apart. "Shit!" Isabeau picks up the rifle that was loaded with rock salt and runs up the stairs with Dean behind her.

Isabeau and Dean run through the church, seeing Sam behind the Hook Man, who is standing over Lori. Isabeau enters with her gun raised.

"Sam, drop!" She screams out. Sam crouches down and Isabeau shoots the Hook Man once and he disappears into dust.

"I thought we got all the silver." Sam says.

"So did I." Dean agrees.

"Then why is he still here?"

"Well, maybe we missed something!" Isabeau says. They look around and Isabeau notices a cross necklace that Lori is wearing, "Lori, where did you get that chain?"

"My father gave it to me." Lori answers.

"Where'd your dad get it?" Dean asks.

"He said it was a church heirloom, he gave it to me when I started school."

"Is it silver?!" Sam asks.

"Yes!" Sam rips the chain off from around her neck. In the hallway, the Hook Man, who is now invisible, is making a long scratch on the wall. Isabeau and Dean turn around to look at it.

"Sam!" Isabeau throws Sam the rifle and the rock salt, and Sam tosses Isabeau the necklace. She and Dean run back to the basement. Sam aims the gun at the scratch that is being made and shoots. He quickly reloads the gun with rock salt.

Isabeau and Dean run downstairs and throw Lori's necklace into the fire. Isabeau bounces in place, "Not fast enough. Dean, stay behind me."

"Beau?" Dean questions Isabeau, but follows her orders, taking a few steps back.

Her eyes glow orange and she thrusts her hands forward, fire shoots out from her hands and into the fire melting the necklace in an instant. She extinguishes her flames, her eyes are back to blue.

"Come on." Dean grabs her arm and they go upstairs to make sure the Hook Man is gone. They walk over to Sam and Lori and give them a knowing look.

* * *

It was the next morning and sheriffs are walking around and there is an ambulance parked outside.

"And you saw him, too? The man with the hook?" The sheriff asks Dean and Isabeau.

"Yes, I told you, we all saw him. We fought him off and then he ran." Dean repeats himself.

"And that's all?"

"Yeah, that's all." Isabeau says.

The sheriff thinks, "Listen. You two and your brother—"

Dean interrupts him, "Oh, don't worry, we're leaving town." He and Isabeau walk over to the impala. Dean gets in the impala and Isabeau waits for Sam, sitting on the impala's trunk.

Lori watches Sam finish getting bandaged up, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah." Sam answers. Isabeau is watching Sam and Lori, playing with her rosary.

"I still don't know what happened. But I do know you saved my life. My father's, too. Thank you." Lori says.

Sam nods and smiles. Lori looks over and catches sight of Isabeau, who waves at her with a soft smile. Lori smiles, waving back and looks at Sam, "I know you said you lost someone, but… she seems perfect." She says, talking about Isabeau.

Sam chuckles, "Yeah, she is." He leaves Lori without another word and walks over to Isabeau.

"Hey."

Isabeau's eyes soften, "Hey."

Sam goes and grabs Isabeau's hand in his free one, and their fingers intertwine. "You ready to go?" Isabeau asks.

Sam nods with a smile, "With you? Yeah."

Isabeau smiles, "Let's go then. Gonna have to convince Dean to stop somewhere. I need to take a look at that." Isabeau points to the wound on his arm.

* * *

Sam winces as Isabeau takes off the wrappings around his wound. "Oh hush, you've had worse." Isabeau scolds him with a smile. She was able to convince Dean to stop at a motel. She sent Dean out to get them food while she took care of Sam.

Sam chuckles, "Still hurts."

Sam was sitting on the edge of one of the motel beds and Isabeau had pulled one of the chairs from the small kitchen area, and placed it in front of him.

Isabeau reaches over into her bag and pulls out a container, opening it to reveal a light green paste inside, "This is going to sting a little bit."

Isabeau gently spreads the paste over Sam's wound. Sam's face contorts in slight discomfort, but says nothing about the pain, "What is it?"

"Just a little something that I came up with to speed up healing for wounds. It's just a mixture of herbs that I grinded into a paste with a little magic. Simple." Isabeau explains, being as careful as she could be.

Dean walks through the door, with bags in his hand and sets them on the table, "I bring grub!" He exclaims. Isabeau looks over with a smile, "Give me like two seconds."

Dean walks over, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to them, "Nurse Isabeau is in the house I see."

Isabeau scoffs at him, "I have to be with you two." She puts the container away and pulls out some more bandages, and starts wrapping it around Sam's arm. "Alright, should be good by tomorrow morning."

Sam smiles at Isabeau, "Thanks. What other stuff do you have?"

Isabeau glances down at her bag, "Uh, just a mixture of stuff. Potions, my grimoires, um, some dried herbs, crystals… you know, the works." She zips up her bag, throwing it onto the bed, next to Dean.

Dean smirks over at her, "You know, I did say that next time we got a motel room, I'd be your model."

Sam snorts, "Seriously?"

Dean smiles, "Seriously. Where is the drawing from before anyway, Isabeau?"

Isabeau gets up and reopens her bag, pulling out the sketchbook and showing the book to Dean. He goes to grab it, but she pulls it away, "Sorry, but uh, you're gonna have to work for those drawings of you and Sam."

Sam looks at her surprised, "Me too?"

Isabeau shrugs, "Yeah, why not? Also, let me drive Baby for the week and you get these."

Dean's eyes widen, "What?"

Isabeau laughs, "You heard me. I drive Baby for the week and you get to see my drawings. I've driven her before, Dean."

Dean thinks about it for a moment before turning to Sam. The two share a silent conversation and smirks appear on their faces.

Isabeau's smile drops, realizing what was going to happen next, "No!"

Dean and Sam spring off the beds and chase Isabeau into the kitchen, Isabeau ending up on one side of the table and both brothers closing in on either side.

"Come on, sweetheart. Don't make this harder than it has to be." Dean smiles, slowly stepping towards her.

Isabeau was clutching the book to her chest, but was smiling, "Oh, I hate you both." She laughs out.

Sam lets out a chuckle, stepping closer as well, "You love us, Beau. Just give us the book."

Isabeau shrugs, "That I do. But, sorry, like I said, gonna have to work for it." Isabeau leaps over the table and the three end up chasing each other all around the motel room.

A few close calls and almost breaking a lamp later, Dean and Sam catch Isabeau, holding her down as the two flip through her sketchbook. Isabeau gives up trying to take away the sketchbook and ends up showing off her sketches happily.

It was moments like these that made the three forget about the hunting life. It was these moments that made everything seem so easy and the only thing that mattered was each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Isabeau is a little wary of churches, she isn't against people who actually go or practice religion, it's just her experience has made her a little frightful of going because she's afraid of being attacked for her sexuality (I know how that feels). I also changed the fact that the rosary beads come from her grandfather instead of great grandmother. I went back and changed it in the places I mentioned it, but forgive me if I didn't in some places. That certain fact connects with what I plan for the future. Hope you guys are enjoying!
> 
> Also, forgot to talk about it last chapter, but Isabeau know that Sam and Dean love her, but she understands that Sam isn't ready and that Dean is respecting his brother by not saying anything. I'm trying to figure out when I want everything to come to light, but episode 13 (Route 666) will help me figure that out. I'm excited but also scared for when I write that one because I am turning that whole episode on it's head.


	18. Bugs Pt.1

Sam sits on the hood of the impala outside of an Oklahoma bar at night. He is reading a newspaper article and a minute later, Dean and Isabeau come outside. Dean is laughing and waving a wad of cash in the air. While Isabeau is smiling, clutching onto a wad of her own cash.

Sam looks up at them, "You know, we could get day jobs once in a while."

"Hunting's our day job. And the pay is crap." Dean says, counting his money.

"Yeah, but hustling pool? Credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world guys." Sam says.

Isabeau shrugs, shoving the wad of cash down her shirt and into her bra, "Need some way to make money. Can't keep pulling out from savings."

Dean chuckles at her before turning to Sam, "Well, let's see honest." He holds out one hand. "Fun and easy." He holds out the other, and gestures that 'fun and easy' outweighs 'honest'. "It's no contest. Besides, we're good at it. It's what we were raised to do."

Sam smiles, "Yeah, well, how we were raised was jacked."

"Yeah, says you. We got a new gig or what?" Dean asks.

"Maybe." Sam gets off of the hood and walks to Dean and Isabeau. "Oasis Plains, Oklahoma - not far from here." He throws the newspaper on the impala. "A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob."

"Huh?" Dean looks at him confused.

Isabeau tilts her head, "Human mad cow disease?" She asked, not believing what she was hearing.

Dean puts his money away, "Mad cow? Wasn't that on Oprah?"

Sam is surprised, "You watch Oprah?" Isabeau smiles at Dean, she didn't want to say anything, but he watches many things that Sam doesn't know about.

Dean, embarrassed, can't think of anything to say, so he changes the topic, "So this guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our kind of thing?"

"Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration. It takes months, even years, for the damage to appear. But this guy, Dustin? Sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour. Maybe less." Sam explains to them.

Isabeau nods, "Okay, that's weird."

"Yeah. Now, it could be a disease. Or it could be somethin' much nastier." Sam says.

Dean nods and claps his hands, "All right. Oklahoma. Man. Work, work, work. No time to spend my money."

They all get in the car and drive off.

* * *

They drove over to the Oklahoma Gas & Power Company building the next day. Dean, Isabeau and Sam get out of the car and approach Travis.

"Travis Weaver?" Sam asks.

Travis answers, "Yeah, that's right."

"Are you the Travis who worked with Uncle Dusty?" Dean asks.

"Dustin never mentioned nephews or a niece." Travis says.

Isabeau smiles softly, "Really? Well, he sure mentioned you. He said you were the greatest."

Sam and Dean nod, "Yeah."

Travis smiles, "Oh, he did? Huh."

"Listen, we wanted to ask you... what exactly happened out there?" Dean asks.

Travis shakes his head and shrugs, "I'm not sure. He fell in a sinkhole, I went to the truck to get some rope, and, uh... by the time I got back…"

"What did you see?"

Travis shakes his head again, "Nothin'. Just Dustin."

"No wounds or anything?" Sam questions.

"Well, he was bleeding... from his eyes and his ears, his nose. But that's it." Travis responds.

"So you think it could be this whole mad cow thing?" Dean asks.

Travis shrugs, "I don't know. That's what the doctors are sayin'."

Isabeau shoves her hands in her pockets, "But if it was, he would've acted strange beforehand, like dementia, loss of motor control. You ever notice anything like that?"

Travis shakes his head, "No. No way. But then again, if it wasn't some disease, what the hell was it?"

"That's a good question." Dean says.

"You know, can you tell us where this happened?" Sam asks.

Travis nods,"Yeah."

A while later, Dean, Isabeau and Sam arrive at the scene of Dustin's death. The sinkhole is surrounded by police tape.

"Huh. What do you think?" Dean asks.

"I don't know. But if that guy, Travis, was right, it happened pretty damn fast." Sam says as they duck under the police tape and look into the hole with a flashlight.

"So, what? Some sort of creature chewed on his brain?" Isabeau asks.

"No, there'd be an entry wound. Sounds like this thing worked from the inside." Sam tells her. They crouch down, taking a closer look.

"Huh. Looks like there's only room for one." Dean turns off his flashlight and ducks under the police tap, "You wanna flip a coin?"

"Dean, we have no idea what's down there." Sam tells him.

"And how the hell are we going to do a three-way flip?" Isabeau asks him.

Dean picks up a nearby coil of rope, "Do it twice!" He says to Isabeau and then looks at Sam, "All right, I'll go if you're scared. You scared?" He asks him.

"Flip the damn coin." Sam says and Dean ducks the police tape again, standing next to them.

Dean chuckles and takes a coin out of his pocket, "All right, call it in the air... chicken."

He flips the coin, and Isabeau catches it in midair, "I'm going." She shoves the coin in her pocket.

"I said I'd go." Dean says.

"I'm going. Visions could help." Isabeau picks up the rope and begins tying it around her waist.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Dean asks, not liking the idea of her using that power again.

She nods, "Yeah, I mean, I've been practicing on little things. And if not, I could still get a few answers."

Sam nods, "You touch the earth and it'll tell you, right?"

Isabeau chuckles, and shakes her head, "Yeah, um, no. That only works on trees, grass, flowers; that type of nature. I can't talk to the actual ground or minerals. But, if there are a few bugs down there, I can get something."

Sam looks surprised, "Bugs?"

Isabeau nods, "Yep. Oh and don't drop me."

* * *

While Dean drives the impala, Isabeau has moved up front in between him and Sam and is examining a dead beetle in her hand. She could feel it's residing emotions. Anger. For such a small beetle, it was holding onto a lot of rage.

"So you found some beetles. In a hole, in the ground. That's shocking, Isabeau." Dean says sarcastically.

Isabeau sighs, "There were no tunnels, no tracks. No evidence of any other kind of creature down there. You know, some beetles do eat meat. Now, it's usually dead meat, but-"

"How many did you find down there?" Dean interrupts, not wanting here more.

"Ten."

"It'd take a whole lot more than that to eat out some dude's brain." Dean says.

"Well, maybe there were more." Isabeau says.

"I don't know, it sounds like a stretch to me."

Sam steps in, "Well, we need more information on the area, the neighborhood. Whether something like this has ever happened before."

As they drive through town, they pass a sign for an open house, decorated with red balloons. Dean stares at it.

"What?" Sam asks.

"I know a good place to start." Dean reads another sign that reads, 'Models Open. New Buyers' BBQ Today!' "I'm kinda hungry for a little barbeque, how 'bout you?"

Sam gives him a knowing look. "What, we can't talk to the locals?" Dean asks.

"And the free food's got nothin' to do with it?" Sam smiles.

"Got me sold." Isabeau says with a smile.

"Of course not. I'm a professional." Dean says.

Sam doesn't believe him, "Right."

Isabeau scoffs, not relieving him either, "Bull."

They pull over, get out of the car and they begin walking down the street to the open house.

"Growin' up in a place like this would freak me out." Dean says to Sam and Isabeau with a chuckle.

"Why?" Sam asks.

Dean scoffs, "Well, manicured lawns, 'How was your day, honey?' I'd blow my brains out."

Sam shakes his head, "There's nothing wrong with 'normal'."

"I'd take our family over normal any day." Dean says.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "You guys got my family. It ain't white picket fence. More like a cottage in the woods, and well," She chuckles, "Of course not completely normal."

Dean smiles, "There's where I'd make an exception."

Sam smiles to himself. He likes Isabeau's home. It was quiet, cute and a countryside way of living. Being surrounded by woods and being the only people for a couple miles sounded nice. He knew that was the only way Dean would settle down anywhere, and that was with Isabeau.

The idea was nice to him as well. Waking up every morning with no worries with the woman he loves. It sounds like a dream come true.

They approach the house and knock on the door. The homeowner answers, "Welcome."

Dean smiles, "This the barbeque?"

"Yeah, not the best weather, but... I'm Larry Pike, the developer here. And you are... ?" Larry introduces himself.

"Dean. This is Sam. And this is Isabeau." Dean introduces all three of them and they all shake hands with Larry.

"Sam, Dean, Isabeau, good to meet you. So, you three are interested in Oasis Plains?" Larry asks.

"Yes, sir." Dean says.

"Let me just say - we accept homeowners of any race, religion, color, sexual orientation or… different kinds of relationships." Larry says, implying that the three were in a relationship.

Isabeau realizes what he is trying to say. She waits for Sam and Dean to say something, but neither of them did. Sam and Dean glance at each other, they don't know if they should say anything or not. They wished that was true, maybe they could play along just this once?

Isabeau shakes her head with a smile, if they wanted to play along, fine. Then she'll play along, "That's wonderful to hear Larry, but their father is getting on in years, and we're just lookin' for a place for him."

Sam and Dean smile to themselves; happy that Isabeau played along with the idea of the two of them being with her. It gave them some relief to know that Isabeau didn't care about being with more than one person. As if her being friends with benefits with fifteen of her best friends didn't give them confirmation on her being open to any kind of relationship.

Larry seems slightly flustered at the fact that Isabeau said that Sam and Dean were brothers and are in a relationship with her, "Great, great. Well, seniors are welcome, too. Come on in." He says with a smile and an encouraging wave.

Larry takes them outside to the backyard. There are lots of people walking around, chatting and eating.

"You said you were the developer?" Sam asks.

Larry nods, "Eighteen months ago, I was walking this valley with my survey team. There was nothing here but scrub brush and squirrels. And you know what, we built such a nice place to live that I actually bought into it myself. This is our house. We're the first family in Oasis Plains." They walk over to his wife, "This is my wife, Joanie."

"Hi there." Joanie greets them.

"Hi." Dean and her shake hands.

"Hi, nice to meet you."

"Sam, Isabeau and Dean." Larry introduces them.

Sam shakes her hand, "Sam."

"Isabeau." Isabeau shakes Joanie's hand with a smile.

"Pleasure." Joanie says.

Larry leans over to his wife, "Tell them how much you love the place, honey. And lie if you have to because I need to sell some houses."

"Right." Joanie nods and they laugh.

"Boys, lady, will you excuse me?" Larry leaves.

"Don't let his salesman routine scare you. This really is a great place to live." Joanie smiles at them.

A very energetic woman approaches them, "Hi, I'm Lynda Bloome, head of sales."

Isabeau blinks at her enthusiasm, she was too energetic for her tastes and that smile looks absolutely forced.

Joanie gestures toward her, "And Lynda was second to move in. She's a very noisy neighbor, though." She leaves.

Lynda laughs, "She's kidding, of course. I take it you three are interested in becoming homeowners."

Dean purses his lips, "Well…"

"Y-yeah, well…" Sam stutters.

"Well, let me just say that we accept homeowners of any race, religion, color, sexual orientation, or… different types of relationships." Lynda says.

Isabeau gives her a tight smile. She wasn't upset that people thought the three of them were together, but she didn't like that people just assumed.

Dean chuckles, "Right. Um... I'm gonna go talk to Larry. Okay, honey's?" He walks away, smacking Sam and Isabeau on their ass.

Isabeau tries to hold back a laugh as Sam looks back at Dean in shock at what he did, but turns back to Lynda and the three share an awkward silence.

* * *

Inside the house, Larry and Dean come downstairs, finishing a tour. "You've got three choices - carpet, hardwood, and tile." Larry tells Dean.

When they come down, Dean notices a jar full of bugs on a nearby table, "Whoa. Someone likes bugs."

Larry places his hands on his hips, "My son - he's into insects. He's very... inquisitive."

Dean nods with a hum. Isabeau said that she could talk to insects like she could nature. He wondered if she could talk to any other species.

* * *

Outside, Lynda is still talking to Sam and Isabeau. "Who can say "no" to a steam shower? I use mine everyday."

Sam gives her a tight smile, uninterested in what she was saying, "Sounds great."

While Lynda continues talking, Isabeau notices a tarantula crawling towards her hand, which is resting on a table. A few feet away, a teenage boy is watching excitedly.

"Excuse me." Isabeau pushes Lynda out of the way and picks up the spider, "Come here little guy."

_"Friend. Keep safe."_

Isabeau chuckles at the tarantula's words. Sam looks at her curiously as they bring it over to the teenage boy. Isabeau smiles, "Is this yours?"

He takes it from her, "You gonna tell my dad?"

"I don't know. Who's your dad?"

He scoffs, "Yeah, Larry usually skips me in the family introductions."

"Ouch. First name basis with the old man - sounds pretty grim." Sam says.

"Well, I'm not exactly brochure material."

"Well, hang in there. It gets better, all right? I promise." Sam reassures him.

"When?"

"Matthew." They turn to see Larry and Dean walking towards them. "I am so sorry about my son and his... pet." Larry says.

Isabeau frowns, "It's no bother. I quite like arachnids."

Matt softly smiles at Isabeau, appreciating that she called them by the correct terminology.

"Excuse us." Larry walks away with Matt.

Dean comes up to them and Sam scoffs, "Remind you of somebody?"

Dean looks over at Larry, who is yelling at Matt and he looks back at Sam, confused.

"Dad?" Sam says.

Dean shakes his head, "Dad never treated us like that."

Sam scoffs, "Well, Dad never treated you like that. You were perfect. He was all over my case. You don't remember?"

Isabeau rubs her eyes, "Oh boy." She whispers to herself. Brother fights was something she didn't get involved in.

"Well, maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes, you were out of line." Dean says.

Sam scoffs again, "Right. Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bowhunting."

"Bowhunting's an important skill."

Sam rolls his eyes, saying nothing.

Isabeau picks up a white napkin from the table and waves it in between the two, acting like it's a white flag, "Alright, keep the peace, boys." She throws the napkin back on the table, "How was your tour?" She asks Dean.

"Oh, it was excellent. I'm ready to buy." Dean smiles. Sam laughs and Dean continues, "So you might be onto somethin'. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here."

"What happened?" Sam asks.

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job. Get this severe allergic reaction to bee stings." Dean explains.

"More bugs."

Dean nods, "More bugs."

Isabeau smiles, "More bugs."

* * *

While Sam drives through the neighborhood, Isabeau flips through one of her own grimoires in the back seat and Dean looks through John's journal up front.

"You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles? What is it that could make different bugs attack?" Dean questions aloud.

"Well, hauntings sometimes include bug manifestations." Sam suggests.

"Yeah, but I didn't see any evidence of ghost activity."

"Yeah, me neither." Sam agrees.

Isabeau speaks up, "Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone."

Sam glances at her in the rear-view mirror, "You mean, like Willard?"

"Yeah, bugs instead of rats."

"There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals - elementals, telepaths."

Dean turns to look at Isabeau, "Isabeau, have you been naughty and been telling your little friends to have a field day?"

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "No, and I'm a fire elemental. I technically shouldn't be able to speak to bugs. But, it must have something to do with me being able to talk to nature. I mean, I can only speak to insects, arachnids and reptiles, not all animals."

Dean hums, he thinks for a second and realizes something, "Larry's kid - he's got bugs for pets."

"Matt?" Sam asks.

"Yeah." Dean confirms.

Sam thinks about it, "He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula."

"You think he's our Willard?"

Isabeau snaps her book shut, "I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess."

"Ooh, hey." Dean closes John's journal, "Pull over here."

Sam pulls into the empty driveway of one of the Oasis Plains homes. "What are we doing here?"

Dean gets out of the car, "It's too late to talk to anybody else."

Sam sticks his head out the window, "We're gonna squat in an empty house?"

Dean opens the garage door, "I wanna try the steam shower. Come on." Sam doesn't move and Isabeau gives him a look. "Come on!"

Reluctantly, Sam pulls the car into the garage, hitting Dean in the gut on the way in, and Dean closes it.

* * *

The next morning, Sam and Isabeau approach the bathroom door, where the shower can be heard running. Sam knocks, "You ever comin' out of there?"

"What?" Dean calls from inside.

Isabeau sighs, "Dean, a police call came in on the scanner."

"Hold on."

"Someone was found dead three blocks from here. Come on." Sam says.

The bathroom door opens and Dean is standing there, in the steam-filled room, with a towel on his head. He smiles at them, "This shower is awesome."

Sam rolls his eyes, "Come on." He walks away downstairs and Isabeau walks back to her room to do one last thing before they leave.

A few minutes later, Dean comes walking down the stairs all dressed and ready to-go and into the living area. "Ready?" He asks Sam.

"Yeah, just waiting on Isabeau. She went back to the room really quick." Sam answers.

"Why?"

Sam shrugs, "No clue."

Both look up at the stairs as Isabeau comes down them, she wipes away a stray tear that ran down her face.

"Beau?" Dean asks, worried.

She gives them a weak smile, "I'm fine. I just got off the phone with Dion, um, he turned ten on Friday. He was wondering if I was coming home to celebrate." She takes a shaky breath, "I missed Dion's birthday for the first time. I know that I'm not gonna be there for every birthday or holiday as the years go by, but they're still kids, and they need their big sister."

Isabeau voices her thoughts to Sam and Dean. It was killing her inside to not be there for her family. She felt homesick, and it was hitting her badly.

Sam hesitates, "Do you need to go home?"

Dean looks sadly at Isabeau, "We understand if you need to, Beau. They're your family." He didn't want her to leave, but if she wanted to go home for a while, they couldn't stop her.

Isabeau shakes her head, taking a breath, "Not now. We need to finish up here. Then maybe I'll go home for a few days." She huffs, "Come on. Let's get going." She walks away from Sam and Dean and heads out towards the garage.

Sam and Dean share a look; they would talk about Isabeau going home later.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam pull up to Lynda's residence and get out of the car, each of them opening an umbrella above them. They approach Larry, who is finishing talking to someone on the phone. Lynda's body is being carried out in a body bag on a stretcher.

"Hello. You're, uh, back early." Larry greets them.

Dean nods, "Yeah, we just drove in, wanted to take another look at the neighborhood."

"What's goin' on?" Sam asks.

Larry sighs, "You guys met, uh... Lynda Bloome at the barbeque?"

"The realtor." Isabeau recalls.

"Well, she, uh... passed away last night." Larry says.

They're all shocked. "What happened?" Dean asks.

Larry shakes his head, "I'm still tryin' to find out. Identified the body for the police. Look, I-I'm sorry, this isn't a good time now."

Sam shakes his head, "It's okay."

"Excuse me." Larry leaves them.

Dean turns to Sam and Isabeau, "You know what we have to do, right?"

"Yeah. Get in that house." Sam says.

Isabeau's jaw ticks, "See if we got a bug problem."

A few minutes later, when the police leave, they climb over the fence, up the side of the house, and through Lynda's bedroom window.

When they get in, they see the outline of her dead body is drawn on the carpet.

"This looks like the place." Dean says.

They walk over to the bathroom, Dean picks up a towel, and drops it when he sees it is covered in dead spiders, "Spiders. From Spider Boy?"

"Matt - maybe." Sam says.

Isabeau steps over and picks up one of the dead spiders in her hand, she could feel the same anger that she felt when she held onto the beetle. These bugs were pissed and she didn't know if Matt was behind it or not.


	19. Bugs Pt.2

Dean, Isabeau and Sam pull up at the curb and across the street, Matt gets off a school bus and begins walking.

"Isn't his house that way?" Dean asks, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Yup." Sam confirms.

"So where's he goin'?" Dean asks.

They get out of the car and begin following Matt. They find him in the woods, examining a leaf bug.

"Hey, Matt. Remember me?" Isabeau asks with a smile.

Matt looks at them confused, "What are you doin' out here?"

"Well, we wanna talk to you." Dean says.

Matt shakes his head, "You're not here to buy a house, are you?" Dean shakes his head. "W-wait. You're not serial killers?" Matt asks.

The three laugh. "No, no. No, I think you're safe." Sam says.

"So, Matt... you sure know a lot about insects." Dean says.

"So?"

Dean nods, "Did you hear what happened to Lynda, the realtor?"

Matt nods, "I hear she died this morning."

"Mm, that's right. Spider bites." Dean hisses out the last part. Isabeau rolls her eyes.

Sam glances at Dean, "Matt... you tried to scare her with a spider."

Matt looks at all of them, "Wait. You think I had something to do with that?"

Dean purses his lips, "You tell us."

"That tarantula was a joke. Anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy." Matt brings up the previous attacks.

Isabeau tilts her head, "You know about those?"

Matt nods, "There is somethin' going on here. I don't know what... but something's happening with the insects. Let me show you something."

He picks up his backpack and beings walking with them to another area.

"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad? Maybe he could clear everybody out." Isabeau suggests to Matt.

"Believe me, I've tried. But, uh, Larry doesn't listen to me." Matt says.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Why not?"

Matt crosses his arms, "Mostly? He's too disappointed in his freak son."

Sam scoffs, "I hear you."

Dean looks at Sam, "You do?"

Sam turns and gives him a look, and turns back to Matt, "Matt, how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Well, don't sweat it, because in two years, something great's gonna happen." Sam says.

"What?"

"College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad." Sam tells him.

"What kind of advice is that? Kid should stick with his family." Dean says from behind.

Sam sighs and glares at him.

Isabeau thought to herself. She stayed close with her family, but branching out from them had been harder than she thought. She's always going to have them in her life, but she needs to make one of her own as well. The occasional visits don't hurt, but she was 23 years old. Isabeau should have a place of her own, her parents should only have her brothers to worry about.

Isabeau shakes her head, clearing her thoughts, "How much further, Matt?"

"We're close."

Sam glares at Dean one more time. Isabeau groans, "White flag boys, white flag." She walks away and they both follow. A few moments later, they reach a large clearing. The sounds of hundreds of different insects can be heard among the trees.

Isabeau shakes her head. All of the insects were speaking so loud and a lot of them were angry.

"I've been keeping track of insect populations. It's, um, part of an AP science class." Matt tells them.

"You two are like peas in a pod." Dean says.

Sam ignores him, "What's been happening?"

"Well, a lot. I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles... you name it. It's like they're congregating here." Matt explains.

"Why?" Dean asks.

Matt shrugs, "I don't know."

"What's that?" Sam points to a dark patch of grass a few feet away. Curious, they walk over to it and discover hundreds of worms. Isabeau steps on some of them, and they fall into the ground, creating a hole. She crouches down and sticks her hand in, moving around in the hole.

Isabeau licks her lips, feeling something hard, "There's somethin' down there."

With a blank expression, she grabs a hold of the object she was feeling and she brings her hand back up. In her hand, covered in dirt and worms, is a human skull.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean pull up outside the local university and get out of the car. Sam takes off his jacket, placing it over the box of bones and takes it out from the backseat and heads towards the building.

"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave." Sam says.

Dean purses his lips, "Yeah. Maybe this is a haunting. Pissed off spirits? Some unfinished business?"

"Yeah, maybe. Question is, why bugs? And why now?" Isabeau asks.

"That's two questions." Dean says to her and glances at Sam, "Yeah, so with that kid back there... why'd you tell him to just ditch his family like that?"

Sam kisses his teeth, "Just, uh... I know what the kid's goin' through."

"How 'bout tellin' him to respect his old man, how's that for advice?" Dean says. Isabeau winces, taking a step back from the two as they stop.

"Dean, come on. This isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect Dad. That's what this is about." Sam says.

Dean licks his lips, "Just forget it, all right? Sorry I brought it up."

"I respected him. But no matter what I did, it was never good enough." Sam says.

"So what are you sayin'? That Dad was disappointed in you?"

"Was?" Sam scoffs, "Is. Always has been." Isabeau frowns, now that wasn't true.

Dean shakes his head, "Why would you think that?"

"Because I didn't wanna bowhunt or hustle pool - because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which, to our whacked-out family, made me the freak." Sam states.

Dean nods, "Yeah, you were kind of like the blonde chick in The Munsters." Isabeau rolls her eyes. He can't go one second without making a joke.

"Dean, you know what most dads are when their kids score a full ride? Proud. Most dads don't toss their kids out of the house." Sam says.

"I remember that fight. In fact, I seem to recall a few choice phrases comin' out of your mouth."

Sam scoffs with a bitter smirk, "You know, truth is, when we finally do find Dad... I don't know if he's even gonna wanna see me."

"Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you. Never. He was scared." Dean tells him.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"He was afraid of what could've happened to you if he wasn't around. But even when you two weren't talkin'... he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could." Dean admits and Sam's smirk fades.

Isabeau shifts from foot to foot, "To keep an eye on you." She tells Sam, both brothers turning toward her. "To make sure you were safe."

"What?" Sam asks in disbelief. Isabeau looks down, kicking herself for telling him. It was Dean's place to tell him.

Dean turns back to Sam, "Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me any of that?" Sam asks Dean.

"Well, it's a two-way street, dude. You could've picked up the phone." Dean tells him. They turn to Isabeau, "Beau?" Sam calls her.

Isabeau steps up to them, "John occasionally called me to ask how you were doing. He knew I still kept in touch with you while you were at Stanford. I never really told him anything, just that you were fine. I would never take your privacy away from you. It's your choice to share it." Isabeau walks away from the two and heads into the building.

Sam stares after Isabeau sadly.

"Come on, we're gonna be late for our appointment." Dean says and walks away from Sam.

* * *

"So, you three are students?" The Professor asks Sam, Isabeau and Dean. They get up from their seats in the classroom.

"Yeah. Yeah, uh, we're in your class - Anthro 101?" Sam lies to the Professor.

"Oh, yeah."

"So, what about the bones, Professor?" Dean asks.

"This is quite an interesting find you've made. I'd say they're 170 years old, give or take. The timeframe and the geography heavily suggest Native American." The Professor explains.

"Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" Isabeau asks.

The Professor shakes his head, "Not according to the historical record. But the, uh, relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time."

"Right. Well, are there any local legends? Oral histories about the area?" Sam asks.

The Professor sighs, "Well... you know, there's a Euchee tribe in Sapulpa. It's about sixty miles from here. Someone out there might know the truth."

Dean nods, "All right."

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau are driving through Sapulpa. They stop and ask a Native American man for directions. Once he directs them where to go, they thank him and drive away.

They park the car, and get out. Isabeau, Dean and Sam enter the diner and find another Native American man playing cards at a table.

"Joe Whitetree?" Sam asks. The man nods. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right."

"We're students from the university." Dean says.

"No, you're not. You're lying." Joe calls Dean out. Isabeau smiles a bit.

Dean is taken aback, "Well, truth is-"

"You know who starts sentence with "truth is"? Liars." Joe tells him.

Dean exchanges a look with Sam and Isabeau.

Isabeau sighs, "Have you heard of Oasis Plains? It's a housing development near the Atoka Valley."

"I like her. She's not a liar." Joe tells Dean who looks angry. "I know the area."

"What can you tell us about the history there?" Sam asks.

"Why do you wanna know?" Joe asks.

Isabeau licks her lips, "Something... something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there - Native American bones."

Joe nods, "I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant, the cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time. And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people."

Dean nods, "Insects. Sounds like nature to me. Six days."

"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive." Joe says.

Sam and Dean exchange a look.

Joe reaches out and takes Isabeau's hand, patting it. The three of them look at Joe confused. "Though nature never hurts it's mother."

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean are walking back to the car. "When did the gas company man die?" Sam asks.

"Uh, let's see, we got here Tuesday, so, Friday the twentieth." Dean answers.

"March twentieth. Ostara."

"That's the spring equinox." Sam says, recalling that was the name for the wiccan holiday.

Isabeau nods, "Also, Dion's birthday." She says to herself. Her and her brothers were all born on wiccan holidays.

"The night the sun and the moon share the sky as equals." Dean continues.

Sam scoffs, "So, every year about this time, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger. Larry built this neighborhood on cursed land."

"And on the sixth night - that's tonight." Dean says.

"If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise. So how do we break the curse?" Sam asks.

Isabeau huffs, "You don't break a curse. You get out of its way. We've gotta get those people out now."

They get in the car and drive away.

* * *

Dean is driving while talking on the phone with Larry, "Yes, Mr. Pike, there's a mainline gas leak in your neighborhood."

"God, really? And how big?" Larry asks.

"Well, it's fairly extensive. I don't want to alarm you, but we need your family out of the vicinity for at least twelve hours or so, just to be safe." Dean says.

"And who is this, again?"

"Travis Weaver. I work for Oklahoma Gas and Power." Dean answers.

"Uh-huh. Well, the problem is, I know Travis. He's worked with us for a year, so who is this?"

"Uh…" Panicked, Dean hangs up.

"Give me the phone." Sam takes the phone from Dean and dials a number.

Matt answers, "Hello?"

"Matt, it's Sam."

"Sam, my backyard is crawling with cockroaches." Matt says, panicked.

"Matt, just listen. You have to get your family out of that house right now, okay?" Sam tells him.

"What, why?"

Sam glances at Dean, "Because something's coming."

"More bugs?" Matt asks.

Sam glances back in the rear-view mirror. Isabeau nods at Sam. "Yeah, a lot more." Sam confirms.

"My dad doesn't listen in the best of circumstances, what am I supposed to tell him?"

"You've gotta make him listen, okay?" Sam tells him.

"Give me the phone, give me the phone." Dean grabs the phone from Sam, "Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth, they'll just think you're nuts."

"But he's my-"

"Tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side and you've gotta go to the hospital, okay?" Dean tells him what to do.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." He hangs up, and so does Dean.

"Make him listen? What are you thinkin'?"

* * *

A while later, they pull up outside Larry's house and they see the lights on.

"Damn it, they're still here. Come on." Dean says. They get out of the car.

Larry looks out the window and, seeing their car, goes outside, joined by Matt.

"Get off my property before I call the cops." Larry exclaims.

"Mr. Pike, listen." Sam tries to calm Larry down.

"Dad, they're just tryin' to help." Matt defends the three of them.

Larry turns to Matt, "Get in the house!"

Matt looks at Sam, Isabeau and Dean, "I'm sorry. I told him the truth."

"We had a plan, Matt, what happened to the plan?" Dean asks.

Isabeau sighs, "Look, it's 12:00 AM. They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go, before it's too late."

"Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm." Larry says.

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think somethin' weird's goin' on here?" Dean asks him.

Larry dismisses him, "Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, and we're gonna have a problem."

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we've got a problem right now." Dean says.

"Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger." Matt says.

Larry turns back to Matt, "Matt, get inside! Now!"

"No! Why won't you listen to me?!" Matt screams.

"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!" Larry exclaims.

"Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now, are you gonna really take that risk with your family?" Sam exclaims.

"Wait." Dean says and they all go silent. "You hear it?"

From somewhere nearby, a very loud buzzing noise can be heard and it continues to get louder.

"What the hell?" Larry asks.

Isabeau's eyes widen and she reaches up, placing her hands over her ears in pain, "So many of them. So loud."

"Beau?" Sam turns to Isabeau in concern and she looks at him in pain. There were too many voices of the insects flooding her ears at once. Each and everyone is more angry than the next.

The fluorescent bug light on the porch begins to overheat, killing several bugs at a time.

"All right, it's time to go. Larry, get your wife." Dean tells Larry. Larry moves to go inside but Matt stops him.

"Guys." All of them look up to the sky. Millions of bugs begin flying towards the house, blanketing the sky.

"Oh my God." Larry breathes out.

Sam places his own hands on top of Isabeau's hands over her ears to ease the volume of the voices, "We'll never make it."

"Everybody in the house. Everybody in the house, go!" Dean says.

They rush inside the house and lock the door. "Okay, is there anybody else in the neighborhood?" Sam asks.

"No, it's just us." Larry responds.

Joanie enters the room, "Honey, what's happening? What's that noise?"

"Call 911." She doesn't move. "Joanie!"

Joanie moves, "Okay." She picks up the phone and dials.

"I need towels." Dean tells Larry.

"Uh, in the closet." Larry answers, the two of them moving.

Sam turns to Matt, "Okay, we've gotta lock this place up, come on - doors, windows, fireplace, everything, okay?" He looks at Isabeau, "Keep your hands over your ears!" Sam and Matt go upstairs.

Isabeau looks around, following Sam's orders. Everyone around her just hears buzzing, but she hears voices all around her. She felt like she was going crazy.

"Phones are dead." Joanie tells everyone near her.

"They must have chewed through the phone lines." Dean begins putting towels at the base of the front door when the power goes out. "And the power lines."

"Maybe my cell." Larry picks up his cell phone. "No signal."

"You won't get one. They're blanketing the house." Dean says. Millions of bugs begin collecting on the doors and windows, covering the entire house. Sam and Matt come down the stairs and the six of them watch, waiting.

"So what do we do now?" Larry asks.

"We try to outlast it." Sam says as Dean heads to the kitchen. "Hopefully, the curse will end at sunrise."

"Hopefully?" Larry asks.

Sam turns to Isabeau, placing his hands back where they once were. "Isabeau, you need to stop listening to them."

"I'm trying Sam! But they're talking directly to me! I'm trying to only listen to one, but there's thousands of them. They're pissed and they want me to know." Isabeau tells him.

In the kitchen, Dean searches the cabinets. He finds a can of bug spray and returns to the living room.

"Bug spray?" Joanie asks.

"Trust me." Dean says.

They hear a creaking noise coming from somewhere around the fireplace. "What is that?" Larry asks.

"The flue." Sam says.

"All right, I think everybody needs to get upstairs." Dean says and suddenly, hundreds of thousands of bugs come into the living room, swarming all around them. They scream and try to protect themselves. Sam pulls Isabeau into his chest, wrapping his arms around her to protect her.

Dean uses a lighter with the can of bug spray to make it flare up. The flame wards some of the bugs away. "All right, everybody upstairs! Now! Go, go, go!"

Isabeau pulls away from Sam just before going up the stairs, "Go!"

"Isabeau!" Dean and Sam exclaim, ready to yell at her, but stop when they see her eyes glowing orange. "Go." She growls out, her hands still over her ears. They nod, running up the stairs.

Isabeau moves to the middle of the living room, ready to turn her entire body into flames, but when a beetle lands on her hand, all the voices stop.

Confused, Isabeau slowly removes her hands from her ears. She notices that none of the bugs are attacking her, but are just flying around her. Her eyes stop glowing orange, changing back to blue.

Isabeau looks down at the beetle that landed on her hand.

" _Protect. Never hurt."_

Suddenly, Isabeau feels all the anger, pain and sadness from the insects flood her body. She gasps, falling to her knees and tears stream down her face.

" _Help us."_

Isabeau chokes up on her tears, "Rest. Please, you need to rest." She whispers out.

The insects start to fly out through the flue from where they came in, just before the sun starts to rise. When the sun fully rises, all the insects that were in the house are gone, except for the one on her hand.

"Beau!"

"Isabeau!" She hears Sam and Dean call for her, their footsteps echoing like thunder.

The footsteps calm to a halt at the base of the stairs behind her, "Isabeau?" Dean asks, slowly stepping towards her.

" _Thank you."_

The beetle on her hand flies away into the flue. Dean kneels down in front of Isabeau, cupping her cheeks in his hands, brushing away her tears. "Beau, what did you do?"

Isabeau looks into Dean's eyes, more tears falling down her face, "I don't know."

Dean sighs, pulling her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Isabeau cries into Dean's chest.

"I don't know."

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam approach Larry, who is placing boxes into a moving van.

"What, no goodbye?" Dean asks.

"Good timing. Another hour and we'd have been gone." Larry says as he shakes all their hands.

"For good?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. The development's been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found. But I'm gonna make damn sure no one lives here again." Larry says.

Isabeau smiles, "You don't seem too upset about it."

"Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but…" Larry looks over at Matt, who is carrying a box to the garbage. "...somehow, I really don't care."

They share a smile and Sam walks over to Matt, who is throwing away all his insect paraphernalia. While Dean and Isabeau head back to the impala.

"Think you'll ever talk to your little friends again?" Dean asks as he leans against the impala.

Isabeau smiles softly, "I will. They just needed to be put to rest."

Dean stares at her, "Is that what you did? They all left before the sun even came up."

She shakes her head, "I don't know what I did. But, nobody should take the risk of living here if they weren't. The curse could still love on. Whatever I did, I might've just calmed it for now. It might come back even more pissed off."

Dean nods, not pushing the subject any further.

A few minutes later, Sam joins Dean and Isabeau by the impala. They watch Larry and Matt, who are now getting along very well.

Sam leans against the impala next to Isabeau. "I wanna find Dad."

"Yeah, me too." Dean agrees.

"Yeah, but I just... I want to apologize to him." Sam says.

"For what?" Dean looks at Sam.

"All the things I said to him. He was just doin' the best he could."

Dean nods, "Well, don't worry, we'll find him. And then you'll apologize. And then within five minutes, you guys will be at each other's throats."

Sam laughs, "Yeah, probably." They sit in silence for a few seconds. "Let's hit the road."

"Let's." Dean places the keys in Isabeau's hand.

She looks at him in surprise, "No, you're joking."

Dean smiles, sharing a look with Sam, "No, I'm not joking sweetheart. Sam and I talked and, why don't we all take a little trip back home?"

Isabeau smiles, giving both of them quick kisses on both of their cheeks and runs to get into the driver's seat, "Get in, morons!"

The two smile, Dean sliding into the passenger seat and Sam going into the back.

Isabeau starts the impala, and all of them give one last wave to Larry and Matt, and drive away.


	20. Send Me A Peach

Isabeau stops the impala out front of her cottage home. The three took a couple of days to head back to her home all the way in Bakersfield, California. Dean let her drive all the way home, the two brothers switching back and forth for the passenger seat.

Isabeau made the suggestion that they both just sit up front, but they immediately said no, not wanting to be squished together. The only way the three of them could be up front is if Isabeau sat in the middle.

She turns off the engine, and takes a breath, "Home sweet home." Isabeau gets out of the driver's seat as Sam gets out from the passenger seat and Dean from the back.

"Man, the memories." Sam comments with a fond smile, looking at the house.

Isabeau laughs, "I'm sure we have some photos stashed somewhere to go along with those." Isabeau recalls that she has an entire photo book for all the times Dean and Sam were over. It was somewhere on her bookcase in her room.

She tosses the keys to the impala to Dean as the three walk up the steps and to the front door.

"Did you let them know you were coming home?" Dean asks, shoving his keys in his pockets.

Isabeau shakes her head, taking her keys out and unlocking the door, "Nope, wanted it to be a surprise."

They walk into the house, they could hear music from the living room and commotion in the kitchen. "Okay," She closes the door behind them quietly and whispers. "You two stay here, I'm gonna make myself known."

Sam and Dean smile with a nod. Isabeau smiles, stepping quietly into the kitchen.

Her mother, Yvette has her back turned, along with her three little brothers, and all of them were prepping for breakfast.

"Need a helping hand?" Isabeau asks. Yvette turns with a jump and smiles, putting her knife down and embracing Isabeau in a tight hug.

"Isabeau! You're home!"

Isabeau laughs as her mother squeezes her. "Hi to you too, mom. You're squeezing the air out of my lungs."

The two pull away and Yvette cups her daughter's cheek with a soft smile, "I missed you."

Isabeau matches her mother's smile, "I missed you too." Her voice slightly breaks near the end.

"Izzy!" Her three little brothers scream her nickname in chorus, running to their big sister. Dion jumps into Isabeau's arms, and Alphonse and Eugene each hugging both sides of her.

Isabeau laughs, kissing Dion's forehead, "I hope you three haven't been causing any trouble?"

The three shake their heads frantically with wide smiles. She gives her mom a look who just smiles at her children, it's only been 5 months, but she missed all of her children being home.

"Well, I know I'm a couple days late, but I couldn't miss out on your birthday." Isabeau tells Dion.

Dion hugs Isabeau, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, "It's okay. I didn't want to celebrate it without you."

Isabeau's smile drops. Yvette gives her a sad smile. With Isabeau gone, Dion didn't want to fully celebrate his birthday without his big sister. He acknowledged it, but they didn't do cake and presents, and none of their traditional celebrations as well. Dion refused to do any of it until Isabeau got home.

Isabeau takes a deep breath, "Well, I'm here now. So I say we celebrate. Mom? Think we can do that?"

Yvette gives a chuckle, "I don't see why not. We have the entire day after all."

"Did someone say celebration?" Bartholmieu comes out from the basement door that was just off from the kitchen. He smiles seeing Isabeau. He walks over and places a light kiss on her forehead. "It's good to see you home."

Isabeau chuckles, "Hi Dad. Oh! And to start off the celebration. I bring home a little gift for everyone." Isabeau turns her head toward the kitchen entrance, "You guys can come out now!"

She hears Dean chuckle, and him and Sam walk into the kitchen with smiles.

"Sam!"

"Dean!"

Eugene runs to Dean as Alphonse runs to Sam, both of them hugging the two hunters. "Heya, kiddos." Dean ruffles Eugene's hair.

Sam smiles down at Alphonse, returning the hug, "You guys keeping out of trouble?" Sam asks.

Alphonse nods his head, "Nothing broke and Eugene hasn't burned anything since the chicken a month ago."

"Hey! It was an accident!"

The two stick their tongues out at each other playfully and laughing.

Isabeau smiles at them. Sam and Dean were always good with her brothers. She noticed at one point, Eugene always gravitated towards Dean and Alphonse towards Sam. She never knew why, but it felt right.

Bartholmieu walks over to the two brothers, giving each of them a hug, "Good to see you again, boys."

Yvette walks over and does the same, "Welcome home, boys."

Sam and Dean felt their chests tighten. Home. They never had one and that's what Yvette and Bartholmieu gave them. A home to call their own. It was the only place that they actually celebrated their birthdays and holidays. A place where they felt at peace with the world around them. They became a family; a strange family, but one that was full of love and support.

"Since all of you are here early…" Yvette comes over and grabs Dion from Isabeau's arms and holds him in her own, "Let's finish breakfast together to start off Dion's birthday."

Isabeau grins, "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

* * *

As Isabeau said, the entire day was fun. The morning started off with all of them having a hand in making breakfast. She went to her usual job of making her signature waffles with the help of Dion throwing chocolate chips in at his request.

Sam and Bartholmieu took care of cutting up all the fresh fruit from their garden, along with Alphonse who made homemade orange juice and the three all took part in making home-fries.

At the same time, Dean, Yvette and Eugene made scrambled eggs, biscuits with gravy and bacon; which Dean teached Eugene how to cook properly.

Morning turned into the afternoon, and everyone made their way outside to enjoy the spring air. Sam and Dean also got to take part in helping Bartholmieu, Isabeau, Alphonse and Dion create their altar outside for Ostara. Even though the Spring Equinox passed, the family still did the ritual.

They even stayed outside for their lunch and had a picnic out on the grass. At some point Sam, Isabeau and Dean broke away from her family to lay out on the hill. They could still hear the laughter from Isabeau's family a distance away, but it was soon drowned out by their own.

There was a moment when Sam and Dean stared fondly at Isabeau helping Dion make flower crowns with one already placed on her head. Soon, Dion went around placing flower crowns on everyone's head. Dean at first was against wearing it, but with the combined puppy dog eyes of Sam and Dion, he gave in with a hint of a smile.

And as time went by, the afternoon turned into the evening; which is where we are now.

Isabeau takes a sip of her drink from one of the side chairs in the living room. The sun had set a couple of hours ago and everyone migrated to the living room to wrap up the night.

Sam and Dean have taken their seats on one of the couches while Yvette, Eugene and Dion took the matching one parallel to it. Batholmieu and Alphonse were seated at the piano just behind Yvette and her two brothers.

Batholmieu and Alphonse both play the piano at the same time, their duet echoing throughout the house.

Dion was flipping through his new cook books that Isabeau, Sam and Dean all got him for his birthday. Eugene was looking through them as well, pointing certain recipes out to his younger brother that he wanted to try with him.

"Shapeshifter? Really? Been years since I came across one of those." Yvette comments as Isabeau, Sam and Dean share the details of their hunts.

Isabeau chuckles, "Aside from Skylar."

"Skylar is different, sweety. Have you met the others?" Yvette asks.

Sam shakes his head, "Only Olivia and Skylar so far."

Yvette nods and looks over to Isabeau, "Do they know about… you know?"

Isabeau chokes on her drink in laughter at her mother's implication. "Yes, they know." Her mother and father knew about the relationship she had with her friends. They never talked about it in front of her brothers and they weren't going to until they were old enough to fully understand the concept of 'friends with benefits'.

"Actually. Give me two seconds." Isabeau places her drink down on the table and runs to the stairs.

"1... 2… That's more than two sweetheart." Dean starts counting as Isabeau runs up the stairs.

"Screw you, Winchester!" Isabeau yells down with a laugh.

Dean was about to make a comment, but when he sees the look that Yvette was giving him, he takes a sip of drip, and avoids her eye contact. Sam snorts at Dean being silently scolded by Yvette.

A few minutes later, Isabeau comes running down the stairs with a large photo book in her hands. She sits down in between Sam and Dean, opens the book and flips through to find the photos she was looking for.

As she flips through it, Sam and Dean look over, noticing photos that were taken since the time they were babies, up to the point they were teenagers.

"Ah! Here it is!" She pulls out one photo from it's sleeve. It was a picture of Isabeau from when she was 18 and with fifteen other girls. All of them were sitting or standing on top of a huge Volkswagen camper, all with smiles and Isabeau directly in the middle of all of them. They were all wearing their summer clothes and it looked like they were camped out somewhere in the woods.

"We all took a camping trip for a couple weeks at Yosemite National Park the summer we graduated high school. So this is…" Isabeau points to all the girls and says their names. Sam and Dean listen with interest. These girls were another part of Isabeau's life that they didn't know about.

The three flip around in the photo book, Isabeau shows them pictures of her and the other girls during their time in high school and college. Some photos were taken at parties, some on trips that they would all take, and there was a handful that were even taken at Isabeau's house.

"Never thought I would see you in a dress." Dean comments, pulling out a picture of her. It was one of her many senior prom photos. Isabeau was wearing a beautiful strapless sheer gown that changed from a gray-blue to white and had a layer of gold embroidery over the top. Her hair was styled half up-half down and was curled. She wore a thin gold choker necklace and a couple of rings to match. At that time as well, Isabeau only had half of her tattoo sleeve done.

Dean looks over and smiles at Isabeau, "You look beautiful." Isabeau knew that he was talking about the prom photo, but she couldn't help but become a little flustered at Dean calling her outright beautiful.

Isabeau smiles shyly as Sam takes the photo. He smiles fondly at it, "Gorgeous."

"Flirts." Isabeau whispers under her breath and Sam and Dean chuckle.

"Do you have your junior prom photos in there too?" Bartholmieu asks, coming to sit on the couch next to Yvette as Alphonse continues playing the piano.

Isabeau shakes her head, "I don't think so. I put those in the other one cause I couldn't fit anymore in this one." She gives her dad a knowing look. That was a photobook filled with pictures of family members that Sam and Dean never met. One's of her and her Uncle C and other ones with her and her Nanna. She kept those under wraps.

"Do you still have the dresses?" Sam asks, putting the photo back in the book, him and Dean looking at the rest of her prom senior prom photos.

Isabeau smiles, "Of course. I might not be a dress or skirt girl, but those dresses are the exception. I think they still fit?" She questioned herself. She hasn't worn them in five-to-six years. Then again she hasn't really changed sizes since the butt end of high school.

A yawn from Dion brought Isabeau out of her thoughts. His eyes were struggling to stay open and his head kept falling forward. "I think someone is ready for bed." Isabeau says, closing the photo book and placing it on the table.

She gets up and takes Dion's book away from him, "Tired big guy?" Dion nods, rubbing his eye and reaches out for Isabeau to pick him up. Isabeau smiles, picking up Dion, his arms wrap around her neck and his head lays on her shoulder.

"Bedtime boys." Yvette says, getting up from her spot, walking over to Alphonse to stop him from playing piano.

"5 more minutes, mom. Please." Alphonse begs.

Yvette shakes her head, "Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can stay up a little bit later. Your brother is tired, Alphonse and I can see that you are as well."

Eugene runs over to his older brother and whispers something in his ear. The two smile at each other and turn to Isabeau, "Can you sing to us, Izzy?" Eugene asks hopefully.

Isabeau smiles, "Only if you two get your butts upstairs to your room right now."

Alphonse and Eugene scramble to the stairs, running up to get ready for bed and to wait for Isabeau.

"Izzy?" Dion whispers out. He wanted to know if he was going to get sung to tonight by his big sister.

Isabeau kisses the top of his head, "Birthday boy always gets sung to. Let's get you to bed."

Isabeau leaves with Dion in her arms and climbs up the stairs to her brother's rooms, leaving Sam, Dean, Yvette and Bartholmieu in the living room.

Bartholomew sighs, "I see things between the three of you haven't changed. Still attached at the hips as usual."

Sam and Dean smile. "Having Isabeau in our lives again. It makes things seem a little easier." Sam says to Bartholmieu.

Bartholmieu nods, "In what way? The hunt? Or just the drive to keep going?"

Dean blinks, "Well, um…" Bartholmieu gives Dean a look. Dean sighs, "The drive."

Yvette smirks to herself, "You boys are taking your time with our daughter. I would've thought something would've been acknowledged by this point."

Sam and Dean look at Isabeau's parents in shock. "How did you?" Dean stutters out, confused.

Bartholmieu chuckles, "We've known since you all three of you were kids. We saw your love for each other before you three could even figure it out for yourselves." He looks at Sam, "And I also know that you still need time after Jessica. Don't rush it, when the time is right, you'll know."

"And Dean…" Yvette turns to him, "I know you're ready. Well, almost ready. You're giving your brother time and not jumping into it. I'm proud of you."

Dean felt his breath hitch at those words. Not once was he told that someone was proud of him. It broke his heart, but made him happy at the same time.

"You're both okay with us, both being in love with her. Wanting to one day be with her?" Sam asks.

Bartholmieu and Yvette smile softly at the two. They could tell that the brothers were nervous about hearing what they thought about the situation. Yvette speaks first, "Boys, we think of you as our own. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think about the two of you. We will love and support you on any decision that you make."

Bartholmieu chuckles, "So believe us when we say that you have our blessing to be with Isabeau. Love is something that nobody can prevent. And who are we to take away any ounce of happiness that you have with our daughter?"

Dean and Sam could feel the tears well up in their eyes. Not once have they felt this sort of love from a parent before. John was always tough on them, acting more like a drill sergeant than a father most of the time. Dean knew that their father loved them, but he never showed it. Having Bartholmieu and Yvette in their lives, it gave them a chance to experience the love of a father and mother.

"Well, since we have all of that sorted. Why don't you two boys head up? We'll clean up everything down here and call it a night." Yvette says.

Dean shakes his head, "Please, Yvette let us help-"

"Boys." Bartholmieu interrupts Dean. "We've all had a long day. Better to rest."

Sam and Dean nod. If there was one thing that the family all had scarily in common is that when they set their mind on something, there was no changing it.

"Plus, you can hear the tail end of Isabeau's performance." Yvette says, grabbing multiple empty cups and bringing them into the kitchen.

The two smile, heading up the stairs and into one of the hallways where all the boys rooms are. Two out of the three doors were closed; Alphonse and Eugene's bedrooms. While the third bedroom door was still open, light seeping into the hallway.

Sam and Dean walk up to the door, and lean in. Dion was laying under the covers as Isabeau sat beside him, leaning back against his headboard, her fingers combing through his hair. "What song are we requesting tonight?" She asks.

Dion thinks for a moment before looking at her with a smile, "'Send Me A Peach'?"

Isabeau smiles to herself and nods, "'Send Me A Peach' it is then." She clears her throat and with a breath, she begins to sing.

_"I never dreamed that there'd come a day_

_When I'd find myself far from your arms_

_Now that I am, I can hardly stand_

_Not to be near your sweet Southern charms"_

Sam and Dean's eyes widen as Isabeau sings softly to Dion. Her voice was soft, but had an underlying power to it. It was calming.

_"Send me a peach from old Georgia_

_Down where the Savannah flows_

_If I could have one bite of Georgia_

_I would feel right here at home"_

Isabeau continued brushing Dion's hair, trying to lull him to sleep.

_"I miss the shady old lanes there_

_Walking with you by my side_

_Just send me one peach from Georgia_

_Just so I know you'll be mine"_

Dion's eyes began to flutter close, but Isabeau knew that he wouldn't fully fall asleep until the song was done.

_"I hope that you won't forget me_

_Before my road leads back to you_

_Though the winter may bring_

_The whole world to it's knees_

_The Spring shall return with its fruit"_

Isabeau looks up and smiles softly at Sam and Dean, who return the gesture as she sings the final verse of the song.

_"The wind here is ready for winter_

_It seems to turn everything blue_

_So just send me one little peach_

_Just a sweet sunny piece of you"_

She leans down, placing a light kiss on Dion's head and very carefully climbs out of his bed to not wake him. She waves Sam and Dean out with a smile and turns off Dion's light, closing the door softly.

The three walk out of the hallway and head to the other side of the house where Isabeau's bedroom resides. "I never heard that song before." Sam says, bringing up what Isabeau sang to Dion.

Isabeau shrugs bashfully, "Just a little something that Dad and I came up with. All of them have their own little songs that we wrote for them. I used to sing all the time to them when they were younger. It soon became a couple times a month."

Isabeau opens her bedroom door, letting Dean and Sam inside and closing it behind them. Isabeau's room was the second biggest in the house. Her california king bed, that she splurged on one year, was set in the far corner of the room. Her desk, bookshelves, altar and art supplies took up the rest of the walls. Pictures and artwork that was unframed were stuck to the wall with tacks. Flowers and herbs hung across her windows. Other plants were scattered around the room, with some even hanging from the ceiling along with multicolored glass lanterns.

"It hasn't changed a bit." Dean says, walking over to the photos she had on the wall. He smiles seeing one of the three of them. It was taken a few months before Sam set off for college. They were standing by the shore of the lake in Isabeau's backyard, none of them had their shoes on, their pants were rolled up and they were soaking wet from the head down. Dean's hair was sticking up everywhere, Sam's hair had plastered back from being wet, Isabeau had an arm around each of their shoulders and all of them had bright grins on their faces.

Sam sees that both his and Dean's bags were set on the end of Isabeau's bed. "Are we sleeping in here?"

Isabeau shrugs, "If both of you are okay with that?"

Sam and Dean look at each other and have silent conversation. Sam turns to Isabeau with a smile, "I think it's more than okay."

Isabeau smiles, "Good." She takes off her shoes and her socks, throwing them aside. "Remember where the bathroom is?" She asks the two of them.

Sam nods, grabbing his bag, "Just one door over right?" Isabeau nods and Sam exits the bedroom, closing the door behind him and heads to the bathroom to change.

"Don't mind if I get changed in front of you, sweetheart?" Dean asks, opening up his bag, pulling out a new t-shirt.

Isabeau chuckles, pulling her shirt off, "Dean, you and Sam see me in my underwear and bra every night. I think by this point you would've realized that I really don't give a shit. You two could be wearing nothing but your boxers and I wouldn't give a damn."

Dean changes his shirt and steps out of his pants, leaving him in his sleep shirt and boxers, and throws his shoes and socks to the side as well.

"Is that a request?"

"Oh, you wish." Isabeau takes her pants off and throws her dirty clothes into her hamper. "I mean, if I had it my way, I'd sleep naked every night."

"Can I request that?"

Isabeau chucks one of her many pillows at Dean's head, "Be lucky with what you have now."

Sam comes back in the room in a new t-shirt and pajama pants and is barefoot, "What should Dean be lucky for?" He closes the door and sets his stuff down on the floor at the foot of the bed.

"Isabeau was just telling me that she would rather sleep naked. She's saying I should be lucky for what I get." Dean says, climbing into the far left side of the bed and under the covers.

Sam lets out a flustered chuckle, "Naked? Really?" He asks her.

Isabeau shrugs, reaching up to open a couple of her hanging lanterns. A small flame ignites on her pointer finger and she lights the candle in them. "When it's just me, yeah. It's just… freeing. It's especially nice during the summer."

She closes the lanterns and turns off her overhead light. The lanterns creating soft, warm glows around the room. Isabeau climbs into the middle of the bed and Sam slides in on the right side of the bed. The three fall back into their old position from when they were younger.

Sam's body presses up against Isabeau's back, his arms wrap around her torso, and places his head on top of hers. Dean tucks his head underneath Isabeau's chin, his arms going around Isabeau's hips and entangling their legs together. One of Isabeau's hands lays on top of Sam's and runs her fingers through Dean's hair with the other.

All three close their eyes and fall instantly asleep in each other's warmth.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean stayed at Isabeau's home for the rest of the week. It took a little work from Isabeau, but she was able to convince Sam and Dean to take a small break from the search for John. Isabeau knew that they needed some time in a home that loved them and gave them a small amount of normal in their crazy lives as hunters.

The week was filled with meals being made with a helping hand from everybody, a few family outings into town, game nights and even a dip in the lake.

Without missing a beat, every night Isabeau would sing her brothers their designated songs, and Sam and Dean would curl up against Isabeau to end their day.

During that time, there was a moment where Sam and Dean forgot their entire search for their father. Being with Isabeau's family brought a smile to their faces everyday. They were able to let go of their worries and enjoy their time away from the hunt.

That of course came crashing down when the week ended.

* * *

Isabeau hugs her father tightly, "I love you… I'm gonna miss you."

Bartholmieu squeezes back, "Love you too. Don't forget to call." They pull away.

"I won't. Besides, Alphonse will probably call me in the next few hours, begging me to come back home." Isabeau says.

She gives her mother a hug, "Love you, mom."

Yvette smiles, "Love you too, sweety."

Isabeau walks over to her little brothers, giving each one of them a hug, "Be good. Don't blow up anything."

"That was one time, Izzy!" Eugene exclaims.

Isabeau chuckles, ruffling his head, "Yeah, I know. Oh, and I got one more thing for you guys before I leave."

Isabeau pulls out a pile of postcards that were tied together by a piece of twine, "Little something from every town we've been to." On the back of them were little notes that she wrote to her brothers while being away from them. She would grab one in every town they stopped in.

Alphonse takes it happily, "We'll put them with the others." They had a box full of postcards that Isabeau collected over the years in one of their rooms.

Sam and Dean walk down the stairs with their own bags in their hands and say goodbye to Isabeau's parents and her brothers.

"You kids got our numbers right?" Dean asks, ruffling the top of Dion's head.

Dion nods, "Yep!"

Dean smiles, "Good." Dean and Sam turn to Isabeau, "You all set?" Sam asks.

"Ready when you are." Isabeau slings her bag over her shoulder, waves her family goodbye and walks out the door and towards the impala.

"Thank you again for having us." Sam thanks Bartholmieu and Yvette.

Bartholmieu waves him off, "It's wonderful having you two here. Don't be strangers."

Dean gives them one last smile, "We won't. Thank you."

Sam and Dean walk out the door and close it behind them. They walk up to Isabeau who has the trunk open with her own bag already inside.

"Any idea where to go next?" Isabeau asks as the two throw their own bags in the trunk.

Dean shuts the trunk with a shrug, "Keep driving, see if anything pops up along the way."

Isabeau nods, "Sounds good to me. We haven't got a lead on John so that's our best option at this point."

Isabeau slides into the backseat as Sam goes into the passenger and Dean takes his place in the driver's seat. As Dean starts the engine and rolls out of the driveway, Isabeau pulls out a handful of photos from her pocket that she developed the day before.

They were all captured moments from the past week. She flips through all of them with a smile and stops at a certain photo. The photo was of her, Sam and Dean sitting down on a blanket in Isabeau's backyard, they were barefoot with their pants legs rolled up from taking a dip in the lake prior. They all had smiles on their faces as Isabeau held her ukulele in her arms. The sun was just setting over the horizon and she saw the lanterns on her porch in the background were lit.

When it came down to it, the hunter life was worth it, because it made moments like these even more special and unforgettable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little small chapter to give you guys until I finish up a couple of the episodes/chapters for this weekend. I hope you guys enjoyed it and let me know if you want other little in between chapter like this. Also the song "Send Me A Peach" is from the soundtrack of Over the Garden Wall.


	21. Home Pt.1

Sam wakes up, confused by his dream. He sits up from his bed in their motel room, panting. He sighs, reaching over to wake Isabeau, but was instead met with cold sheets.

He looks over, Isabeau is no longer in the bed, "Beau?" Sam whispers out.

"Sam?" Isabeau whispers out in concern. Sam turns his head towards the kitchen area. Isabeau was sitting at the table, with a book in her hands.

Isabeau shuts the book and walks over to the bed, sitting next to him, "What's wrong?"

Sam shakes his head, "What are you doing up?" He ignores her question.

Isabeau sighs, "Just couldn't sleep. Go back to bed."

"Stay?"

Isabeau smiles softly, "I'll stay."

* * *

The next morning, while Dean is on the computer, Sam is drawing a picture of a tree in Isabeau's sketchbook. Isabeau herself is sitting criss-cross on one of the bed's, multiple random items that she found around the motel room lying in front of her. She closes her eyes in concentration every time she picks one item up.

"All right. I've been cruisin' some websites. I think I found a few candidates for our next gig." Dean takes a sip of his coffee, "A fishing trawler found off the coast of Cali –- its crew vanished. And, uh, we got some cattle mutilations in West Texas. Hey."

Sam looks up from his drawing and Isabeau opens her eyes. "Am I boring you two with this hunting evil stuff?" Dean asks them.

"No. I'm listening. Keep going." Sam says and Isabeu nods her head in agreement, closing her eyes once again.

"And, here, a Sacramento man shot himself in the head. Three times." Dean waves his hand around in front of Sam's face. "Any of these things blowin' up your skirt, pal?"

Sam stares at his picture, "Wait. I've seen this."

"Seen what?" Dean asks. Sam gets up from the bed and goes searching through his duffel bag. "What are you doing?" Dean sets down his coffee.

Sam finds a photo of their family from when he was a baby. He compares the tree in the photo to his drawing. They're the same. "Dean, I know where we have to go next."

"Where?" Dean asks.

"Back home. Back to Kansas." Sam says.

Dean scoffs, "Okay, random. Where'd that come from?"

"All right, um, this photo was taken in front of our old house, right? The house where Mom died?" Sam shows the photo to Dean. Isabeau opens her eyes and watches on from the bed.

"Yeah."

"And it didn't burn down, right? I mean, not completely, they rebuilt it, right?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head, confused, "I guess so, yeah. What the hell are you talkin' about?"

Sam takes a seat at the table, "Okay, look, this is gonna sound crazy but….the people who live in our old house –- I think they might be in danger."

"Why would you think that?" Dean asks.

"Uh…it's just, um….look, just trust me on this, okay?" Sam stutters. He starts to walk away, and Dean follows him.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, trust you?"

Sam moves his bag to his bed, "Yeah."

"Come on, man, that's weak. You gotta give me a little bit more than that."

Sam raises a hand in defense, "I can't really explain it is all."

"Well, tough. I'm not goin' anywhere until you do." Dean says.

Sam sighs and Dean waits expectantly.

Sam looks over to Isabeau, who is giving him a look. She wasn't going anywhere until he told her why. "I have these nightmares."

Dean nods, "We've noticed."

"And sometimes….they come true."

Isabeau, stunned, speaks up from the bed, "Come again?"

"Look, guys….I dreamt about Jessica's death for days before it happened." Sam explains to them.

"Sam, people have weird dreams, man. I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Dean sits down on the bed next to Isabeau.

"No, I dreamt about the blood dripping, her on the ceiling, the fire, everything, and I didn't do anything about it 'cause I didn't believe it. And now I'm dreaming about that tree, about our house, and about some woman inside screaming for help. I mean, that's where it all started, man, this has to mean something, right?" Sam rambles on.

"I don't know." Dean says overwhelmed.

Sam sits down across from Dan and Isabeau, "What do you mean you don't know, Dean? This woman might be in danger. I mean, this might even be the thing that killed Mom and Jessica!"

"All right, just slow down, would ya?" Dean stands up and begins pacing. "I mean, first you tell me that you've got the Shining? And then you tell me that I've gotta go back home? Especially when…"

"When what?"

"When I swore to myself that I would never go back there?" Dean says sadly.

Isabeau takes a breath and gets up from the bed, moving to the middle of the room, thinking. "Look, Dean, we have to check this out. Just to make sure." She tells him softly.

Dean looks at her, "I know we do."

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau pull up outside the brothers' old house.

"You gonna be all right, man?" Sam asks.

"Let me get back to you on that." Dean says.

Isabeau sighs, looking over to the other side of the street. Right across from Sam and Dean's old house was hers. The house still looked the same from what she remembered from the photos at home. She didn't have any memories since they moved out not too long after the death of Mary.

They all get out of the car. They walk up to the house and after knocking on the front door, Jenny answers it. Sam is shocked that she is the same woman from his dream.

"Yes?" She asks.

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're with the Federal—"

Sam interrupts Dean, "I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my brother, Dean. We used to live here. And this is our friend Isabeau Fitzgerald, she used to live across the street. You know, we were just drivin' by, and we were wondering if we could come see the old place."

"Winchester." Jenny whispers out in familiarity, "Yeah, that's so funny. You know, I think I found some of your photos the other night."

"You did?" Dean asks.

She nods and steps aside, "Come on in." All three of them go inside.

The second Isabeau steps foot in the house, she feels goosebumps crawl over her skin. She looks around for a brief moment; she feels like someone is watching her.

Inside the house, the four of them go to the kitchen. Jenny's daughter, Sari is at the table doing homework and Ritchie, her jumpy toddler brother, is in his playpen.

"Juice! Juice! Juice! Juice!"

"That's Ritchie. He's kind of a juice junkie." Jenny takes a sippy cup out of the refrigerator and hands it to Ritchie. "But, hey, at least he won't get scurvy." She walks over to Sari, "Sari, this is Sam and Dean. They used to live here. And their friend Isabeau used to live across the street."

"Hi." Sari says.

Sam and Dean wave.

Isabeau smiles faintly, "Hey, Sari."

"So, you just moved in?" Dean asks.

"Uh, yeah, from Wichita." Jenny answers.

"You got family here, or….?"

Jenny shakes her head, "No. I just, uh….needed a fresh start, that's all. So, new town, new job –- I mean, as soon as I find one. New house."

"So, how you likin' it so far?" Sam asks.

"Well, uh, all due respect to your childhood home –- I mean, I'm sure you had lots of happy memories here."

Dean smiles weakly at her assumption.

"But this place has its issues." Jenny says.

"What do you mean?" Sam asks.

Jenny sighs, "Well, it's just getting old. Like the wiring, you know? We've got flickering lights almost hourly."

"Oh, that's too bad. What else?" Dean says.

"Um…sink's backed up, there's rats in the basement." Jenny pauses, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain."

Dean shakes his head, not offended, "No. Have you seen the rats or have you just heard scratching?"

"It's just the scratching, actually."

Sari speaks up, "Mom?" Jenny kneels down next to Sari. "Ask them if it was here when they lived here."

"What, Sari?" Isabeau asks.

"The thing in my closet." She answers.

Jenny shakes her head, "Oh, no, baby, there was nothing in their closets." She turns to Sam, Isabeau and Dean, "Right?"

Sam shakes his head, "Right. No, no, of course not."

"She had a nightmare the other night." Jenny says.

"I wasn't dreaming. It came into my bedroom –- and it was on fire." Sari says.

Sam, Isabeau and Dean are shocked.

* * *

Dean, Sam and Isabeau exit the house and walk back to the car.

"You hear that? A figure on fire." Sam tells them.

"And that woman, Jenny, that was the woman in your dreams?" Isabeau asks.

Sam looks at her, "Yeah. And you hear what she was talking about? Scratching, flickering lights, both signs of a malevolent spirit."

"Yeah, well, I'm just freaked out that your weirdo visions are comin' true." Dean says.

"Well, forget about that for a minute. The thing in the house, do you think it's the thing that killed Mom and Jessica?" Sam says panicked.

"I don't know!" Dean exclaims.

"Well, I mean, has it come back or has it been here the whole time?"

They all stop at the car. "Or maybe it's something else entirely, Sam, we don't know yet." Dean says, turning away.

"Well, those people are in danger, guys. We have to get 'em out of that house." Sam says.

"And we will." Isabeau reassures him.

"No, I mean now."

Dean turns back to Sam, "And how you gonna do that, huh? You got a story that she's gonna believe?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

* * *

**"** **We just gotta chill out, that's all. You know, if this was any other kind of job, what would we do?" Dean asks Sam and Isabeau. They stopped at a gas station to think things over.**

Sam sighs, "We'd try to figure out what we were dealin' with. We'd dig into the history of the house."

"Exactly, except this time, we already know what happened." Dean says.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Yeah, but how much do we know? I mean, how much do you actually remember?"

Dean looks at her, "About that night, you mean?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. I mean my mom and dad only told me snippets of that night."

Dean shakes his head, "Not much. I remember the fire…the heat." He pauses for a moment, "And then I carried you out the front door." He told Sam.

"You did?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, what, you never knew that?"

Sam shakes his head, "No."

"And, well, you know Dad's story as well as I do. Mom was….was on the ceiling. And whatever put her there was long gone by the time Dad found her."

"And he never had a theory about what did it?" Sam asks.

"If he did, he kept it to himself. God knows we asked him enough times." Dean says as all three of them sit on the trunk of the impala.

Isabeau huffs, "Okay. So, if we're gonna figure out what's goin' on now…we have to figure out what happened back then. And see if it's the same thing."

"Yeah. We'll talk to Dad's friends, neighbors, people who were there at the time." Dean says.

Sam pauses, "Does this feel like just another job to you?"

Dean says nothing for a moment, "I'll be right back. I gotta go to the bathroom." Isabeau narrows her eyes at Dean as he walks away.

After turning a corner, Dean stands next to the bathroom door and takes out his cell phone. After making sure no one can see him, he dials a number.

"This is John Winchester. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235" The cell phone beeps.

"Dad? I know I've left you messages before. I don't even know if you'll get 'em." He clears his throat, "But I'm with Sam and Isabeau. And we're in Lawrence. And there's somethin' in our old house. I don't know if it's the thing that killed Mom or not, but…"

His voice breaks and he pauses, barely keeping himself together, "…I don't know what to do." Dean begins to cry, "So, whatever you're doin', if you could get here. Please. I need your help, Dad." He hangs up sadly, with tears in his eyes.

Dean turns around to see Isabeau standing there. He stares at her and she smiles weakly. She reaches up and cups his cheek, brushing away a tear falling down his face. "Whatever you need."

Dean's lip quivers and he pulls her into a tight hug, crying into her hair. Isabeau wraps her arms around him tight, and rubs small circles on his back. "I got you, Dean." She pauses, trying her best to keep herself from crying. It broke her to see him like this.

"I got you."

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam headed to 'Guenther's Auto Repair' and are talking to the owner of the garage.

"So you and John Winchester, you used to own this garage together?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, we used to, a long time ago. Matter of fact, it must be, uh…twenty years since John disappeared. So why the cops interested all of a sudden?" The owner says.

"Oh, we're re-opening some of our unsolved cases, and the Winchester disappearance is one of 'em." Isabeau says, glancing over at Sam and Dean.

"U-huh. Oh, well, what do you wanna know about John?" The owner asks.

"Well, whatever you remember, you know, whatever sticks out in your mind." Dean says.

"Well…he was a stubborn bastard, I remember that." The owner laughs, "And, uh, whatever the game, he hated to lose, you know? It's that whole Marine thing." Dean and Sam nod. "But, oh, he sure loved Mary. And he doted on those kids."

"But that was before the fire?" Sam asks.

"That's right."

"He ever talk about that night?"

The owner shakes his head, "No, not at first. I think he was in shock."

Sam nods, "Right. But eventually? What did he say about it?"

"Oh, he wasn't thinkin' straight. He said somethin' caused that fire and killed Mary."

"He ever say what did it?" Dean asks.

"Nothin' did it. It was an accident –- an electrical short in the ceiling or walls or somethin'." The three give each other a knowing look. "I begged him to get some help, but…."

"But what?" Dean asks.

"Oh, he just got worse and worse."

"How?"

"Oh, he started readin' these strange ol' books. He started goin' to see this palm reader in town." The owner says.

Isabeau tilts her head, "Palm reader? Uh, do you have a name?"

The owner scoffs, "No. But, I remember something else. There was this other couple, husband and wife, that lived right across from their house. I think they had a baby girl."

"What does that have to do with John?" Isabeau asks, curious.

The owner sighs, "The husband and wife were there that night of the fire. John would be over there constantly after Mary passed. The husband was strange, he was the one that gave John those strange books I believe."

Isabeau furrows her brow, he was talking about her parents, "Thank you."

* * *

The impala is parked by a payphone, where Sam is looking through a phonebook and Dean and Isabeau are leaning against the impala.

"All right, so there are a few psychics and palm readers in town. There's someone named El Divino. There's, uh –-" Sam laughs, "—there's the Mysterious Mister Fortinsky. Uh, Missouri Moseley—"

Isabeau perks up at the name, "Wait, wait. Missouri Moseley?" Her and Dean say in unison.

"What?"

"That's a psychic?" Dean asks.

Sam looks back at the phonebook, "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

Dean goes into the backseat of the car and pulls out John's journal, "In Dad's journal…here, look at this." He opens to the first page, "First page, first sentence, read that."

Sam reads, "I went to Missouri and I learned the truth."

Dean shrugs, "I always thought he meant the state."

"No…" Isabeau smiles at both of them who turned to her, "He meant her. She's, uh," She laughs, "She's a family friend."


	22. Home Pt.2

The three headed to Missouri Moseley's house and they're sitting on the couch waiting. Missouri comes in and is escorting a man out of the house, "All right, there. Don't you worry 'bout a thing. Your wife is crazy about you." Isabeau smiles to herself as the man thanks her and she closes the front door behind him.

"Whew. Poor bastard. His woman is cold-bangin' the gardener."

Isabeau snorts, holding back a laugh.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asks.

Missouri turns to them, "People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news." The three stare at her.

"Well? Sam, Isabeau and Dean, come on already, I ain't got all day." She leaves the room.

Dean and Sam exchange a confused look, Isabeau's smile never leaves and they follow her into the next room.

"Well, lemme look at ya." Missouri laughs, "Oh, you boys grew up handsome."

Isabeau nods, they sure did. Missouri gives her a knowing look.

Missouri points a finger at Dean, "And you were one goofy-lookin' kid, too." Dean glares at her while Sam smirks.

Missouri smiles at Isabeau. "Oh, little Isabeau."

Isabeau returns it, "It's been a while Missouri."

Missouri chuckles, bringing Isabeau in for a hug, "Three years is too long. And, honey, what'd I say? It's Aunty Missouri to you, child. Oh my, you've been quite busy haven't you. I hope you've been taking care."

Isabeau shrugs when the two pull away, "Headaches here and there. I think the worst of it is over."

"Good." Missouri nods.

"Sam." She grabs his hand, "Oh, honey…I'm sorry about your girlfriend." The boys are shocked. "And your father –- he's missin'?"

Sam glances at Dean, "How'd you know all that?"

"Well, you were just thinkin' it just now." Missouri says. Sam raises his eyebrows, surprised.

"Well, where is he? Is he okay?" Dean eagerly asks.

Missouri shakes her head, "I don't know."

Dean shakes his head in disbelief, "Don't know? Well, you're supposed to be a psychic, right?"

Missouri looks at Isabeau, "Did you tell him."

Isabeau shrugs sheepishly.

Missouri gives Dean a look, "Boy, you see me sawin' some bony tramp in half? You think I'm a magician? I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air. Sit, please."

Sam smirks at Dean, and Isabeau laughs, "Don't mess with Aunty Missouri."

They sit down on the couch opposite to Missouri, Isabeau sits in between the two brothers like usual.

"Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'm 'a whack you with a spoon!" Missouri snaps at Dean.

"I didn't do anything." Dean says defensively.

"But you were thinkin' about it."

Dean raises his eyebrows and Sam smiles brightly. Isabeau could tell that Sam really liked Missouri.

Sam leans forward, "Okay. So, our dad –- when did you first meet him?"

"He came for a reading. A few days after the fire. Bartholmieu brought him and we just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say…we drew back the curtains for him." Missouri explains.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Wait, my dad brought him here?" Isabeau never knew the story on how John knew about her family. She just thought John and Mary already knew what they were.

Missouri nods at her, "Bartholmieu wanted to help."

Dean speaks up, "What about the fire? Do you know about what killed our mom?"

"A little. Your daddy took me to your house. He was hopin' I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing." Missouri says.

"And could you?" Sam asks.

"I don't…" She shakes her head.

"What was it?"

"I don't know. Oh, but it was evil." Missouri says softly, "So…you think somethin' is back in that house?"

Sam nods, "Definitely."

Missouri shakes her head, "I don't understand."

"What?" Isabeau asks.

"I haven't been back inside, but I've been keepin' an eye on the place, and it's been quiet. No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it actin' up now?" Missouri asks.

"I don't know. But Dad going missing and Jessica dying and now this house all happening at once –- it just feels like something's starting." Sam explains.

"That's a comforting thought." Dean says.

* * *

Isabeau knocks on the door and Jenny answers it with Richie in her arms, seeing Isabeau, Sam, Dean, and Missouri. "Isabeau, Sam, Dean. What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Jenny. This is our friend, Missouri." Sam introduces Missouri to her.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her the old house. You know, for old time's sake." Dean says.

Jenny forces a smile, "You know, this isn't a good time. I'm kind of busy."

"Listen, Jenny, it's important." Missouri smacks Dean on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Give the poor girl a break, can't you see she's upset?" Missouri scolds Dean. She turns to Jenny, "Forgive this boy, he means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed, but hear me out." Dean looks at Missouri, stunned.

"About what?" Jenny asks.

"About this house." Missouri answers.

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?" Missouri asks.

Jenny is surprised, "Who are you?"

"We're people who can help, who can stop this thing. But you're gonna have to trust us, just a little." Missouri tells her. Jenny looks unsure.

A few moments later, Missouri, Isabeau and the boys are in Sari's bedroom. Isabeau's goosebumps came back, and she criss-crosses her arms, not liking the way it felt.

"If there's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it." Missouri tells them.

"Why?" Sam asks.

"This used to be your nursery, Sam. This is where it all happened." She tells him. Sam glances at the ceiling. While Missouri and Isabeau look around the room, DEAN pulls out his EMF meter. "That an EMF?" Missouri asks.

Dean nods, "Yeah."

"Amateur."

Dean glares at her. He nudges Sam and shows him that the EMF is beeping frantically.

"I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain't the thing that took your mom." Missouri tells them.

"Wait, are you sure?" Sam asks.

She nods.

"How do you know?"

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's somethin' different." Missouri says.

"What is it?" Dean asks.

Isabeau turns, opening the closet. She could feel something watching her again, whatever it was, it was watching her from there.

Missouri comes up behind Isabeau, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Not it. Them. There's more than one spirit in this place."

"What are they doing here?"

Missouri walks over to Sam and Dean, "They're here because of what happened to your family. You see, all those years ago, real evil came to you. It walked this house. That kind of evil leaves wounds. And sometimes, wounds get infected."

Sam shakes his head, "I don't understand."

"This place is a magnet for paranormal energy. It's attracted a poltergeist. A nasty one. And it won't rest until Jenny and her babies are dead." Missouri says.

Sam glances over at Isabeau, who was still looking inside the closet. She was being scarily quiet. "You said there was more than one spirit."

"There is. I just can't quite make out the second one." Missouri says, walking back to Isabeau. "Honey, you think you can do it?"

Isabeau turns around to face Missouri. Isabeau hesitates, but then nods, "I think I can."

"Do what?" Dean asks.

Isabeau walks to the center of the room as Missouri explains, "You boys know that when Isabeau touches an object, or sees something, or even hears something, she can see into its past, correct?"

Sam nods, "Yeah. She's been doing it for a while."

"Though she did have to take a break because of how bad it got." Dean comments.

Isabeau gives him a look and Missouri continues, "Well, if she puts enough power and concentration into it, she can spiritually go back and relive the past."

Dean and Sam glance at each other, "Like time travel?" Dean asks.

Isabeau chuckles, "No, my body stays in the present, but my astral body, spiritual, can go back to the past as a spectator, or in reliving it in the body of someone else. I won't be interfering with the past itself, just being a witness to it."

"Have you done that before?" Dean asks.

Isabeau smiles at him sheepishly, "No. It would be my first time doing it. And it will affect me for a short amount of time."

Dean's eyes widen, "Beau, you can't keep doing things that are gonna get yourself hurt."

"Listen here, boy." Missouri scolds him, "If she wants to do this, then she is going to do it. Isabeau needs to harness this power to its fullest potential and if she doesn't, every time she uses it, it's going to hurt her even more."

Isabeau smiles softly at Sam and Dean, "I need your support. Please."

Sam and Dean reluctantly nod, "What do you need from us."

Missouri smiles at the boys, "Isabeau is going to lay down on the floor, she's gonna need your hands to hold onto."

Isabeau does what Missouri explains, she lays down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Sam goes over to her left side and Dean to her right, both of them kneeling down and each takes one of her hands.

"Why hold hands?" Sam asks curiously.

Isabeau sighs, "I need someone from the physical plane to hold onto me so that way my astral body can find its way back to my physical. It needs a connection."

Missouri kneels down, and moves Isabeau's head into her lap, "On the count of 3, your going to go back and figure out what other spirit has latched itself to the house, okay honey."

Isabeau gives her a nervous chuckle, "Whatever you say, Aunty Missouri." Isabeau closes her eyes, and takes deep breaths as Missouri counts.

Missouri places her hand on Isabeau's forehead, "1… 2… 3."

The second Missouri said three, Isabeau's deep breaths slowed down and she seemed to fall into a deep sleep.

"How long will it take?" Sam asks.

Missouri shakes her head, "Can't tell you. It could take seconds, but at the most it should only be a few minutes."

Minutes pass in silence and Isabeau is still sleeping. Missouri furrows her brow as Isabeau's hands suddenly squeeze Sam and Dean's tightly.

"Isabeau?" Missouri speaks softly.

Isabeau's face contorts in pain, and Missouri feels her forehead burning up, "She went to far back." Missouri says.

"What?" Sam asks worried.

"She's not finding out what other spirit is here." She pauses looking at both of the boys, scared. "She went back to that night. She's reliving it."

Their eyes widen and Sam and Dean look down at Isabeau in fear. "Beau you gotta wake up."

"Come on, sweetheart. Find your way back to us." Dean begs.

Isabeau starts to shake, her hands gripping Sam and Dean's even tighter if it were possible. She wasn't waking up.

Missouri takes a breath, "Honey, on the count of three, you're gonna be back in your body. Safe and sound with us. 1… 2… 3."

Isabeau wakes up with a strangled gasp, and begins to cough. She felt like she couldn't breath. She's still shaking as the three help her sit up.

"Breath, Beau. Breath." Sam urges her.

Isabeau continues coughing up air, she leans into Sam and he wraps his arms around her as she's still holding onto Dean's hand.

Isabeau let out a shaky breath, "I went too far… I was in Mary's body."

Sam and Dean look at each other in fear.

"I could feel everything." Isabeau's voice breaks as tears start to fall.

Dean runs his fingers through her hair to calm her down, "Shh, sweetheart. You're safe." Dean bites his lip, holding back the tears. Isabeau shouldn't have had to experience how their mother died.

Isabeau cries into Sam's chest. Even though she went all the way back and was inside Mary's body. The only thing she experienced was Mary's death. She didn't see who or what killed her, she just felt immense pain in her abdomen. She was bleeding out and then she was burned alive.

But she did see one thing before she was brought back to her body. She saw her mother, Yvette running into the nursery trying to save Mary.

Her mother tried to save Mary; just like Isabeau when she tried to save Jessica.

* * *

Later, Isabeau pulled herself together, her eyes were still bloodshot from the crying. She could still feel residual pain from experiencing the past, but she tried her best to bury that pain for the time being.

They headed back to Missouri's house. Isabeau, Dean, Sam, and Missouri are sitting around a table. On the table are different herbs and roots.

"So, what is all this stuff, anyway?" Dean asks, making little bags filled with multiple items.

Isabeau rubs at her eyes, some tears are still falling, "Angelica Root, Van Van oil, crossroad dirt, a few other odds and ends."

Sam walks over to her, and wraps his arms around her from behind. What she did at the house prior was affecting her greatly and Sam was doing his best to comfort and calm her down.

Dean sighs, "What are we supposed to do with it?" He asks her softly, putting the bags together.

"We're gonna put them inside the walls in the north, south, east, west corners on each floor of the house." Missouri explains, taking a seat.

"We'll be punchin' holes in the dry wall. Jenny's gonna love that." Dean says looking over a tsam and Isabeau.

"She'll live." Missouri says slyly.

"And this'll destroy the spirits?" Sam asks.

Missouri nods, "It should. It should purify the house completely. We'll each take a floor. But we work fast. Once the spirits realize what we're up to, things are gonna get bad."

* * *

Missouri is walking Jenny and her kids outside. "Look, I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving you guys here alone." Jenny says.

"Just take your kids to the movies or somethin', and it'll be over by the time you get back." Missouri says. Jenny, still slightly unsure, leaves with her kids and Missouri goes back inside.

Inside the house, all four of them went their separate ways, Sam and Isabeau each took a room on the opposite ends of the top floor, Dean went down to the kitchen and Missouri was down in the basement.

Isabeau walks into her assigned room, tapping along the walls to find a hollow spot. While she's doing this, a cluster of small wires move out from underneath the ceiling fan and slowly make their way down to Isabeau.

Isabeau pauses, finding a hollow spot in the wall. She hits at it with her hammer, creating a small hole. She was about to place the bag into the hole, but stops when she hears clanging from downstairs and a crash in the room Sam was in. "Sam!"

She goes to turn and in that moment, the cluster of wires wrap around her neck and drag her under the ceiling fan. Isabeau reaches up, trying to pull the wires off of her neck as they're choking her.

The wires lift her off the ground, hanging her from the ceiling. Isabeau struggles to breath, pulling at the wires, "Sam… Dean." She gasps, weakly calling out to them.

"Beau!"

"Isabeau!"

Sam and Dean run into the room, eyes wide with fear. "Shit!" Sam goes to Isabeau, holds up her body, so that her weight wasn't tightening the wires around her neck.

Dean runs over to the hole in the wall that Isabeau made previously, throws the bag of herbs inside and a blinding white light leaves the room.

Dean comes over to Isabeau, and helps Sam rip off the wires around her neck. Sam sets her down on her feet once the wires are gone and the two brothers pull her into a fierce group hug.

Isabeau takes in a breath of air and looks up at the both of them. She then notices the red marks around Sam's neck that was a match to her own.

"What is up with things choking us?" Isabeau asks weakly.

The brothers chuckle weakly, pulling her closer to them. They didn't answer. All three of them were just happy that none of them got seriously hurt.

* * *

A few hours later, Isabeau, Dean, Sam, and Missouri are standing in the extremely messy kitchen.

"You sure this is over?" Sam asks Missouri.

Missouri looks over at him, "I'm sure. Why? Why do you ask?"

"Never mind." Sam sighs, "It's nothin', I guess."

They hear Jenny enter the house and turn the lights on, "Hello? We're home." She comes into the kitchen and looks around, "What happened?"

"Hi, sorry. Um, we'll pay for all of this." Sam apologizes. Dean looks confused.

"Don't you worry. Dean's gonna clean up this mess." Missouri reassures Jenny. Isabeau's jaw drops in awe. She fucking loves her Aunty Missour.

Dean stands there, not moving. Missouri looks over at him, "Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Get the mop."

He begins walking away. "And don't cuss at me!"

Dean walks away, muttering under his breath. Sam puts his hand out to Isabeau, palm side up. With a smirk, she slaps it. Missouri put Dean in his place and both Sam and Isabeau love it.

A little while later, Missouri, Isabeau and the boys leave the house. Isabeau can't help but smile when Dean helps Missouri walk down the stairs from being hurt down in the basement. Jenny waves and shuts the door behind them.

* * *

Later on, outside, Dean, Sam and Isabeau are sitting in the car, across from Jenny's house.

"All right, so, tell me again, what are we still doin' here?" Dean asks Sam.

Sam shakes his head, "I don't know. I just…I still have a bad feeling."

"Why? Missouri did her whole Zelda Rubenstein thing, the house should be clean, it should be over." Dean says.

"Yeah, well, probably. But I just wanna make sure, that's all." Sam says.

"Yeah, well, problem is I could be sleeping in a bed right now." Dean slides down in his seat and closes his eyes. Isabeau shakes her head fondly at him, but frowns when she looks up at Jenny's bedroom window and sees her screaming.

Sam sees it too; it was just like his dream.

"Dean. Look, Dean!" Isabeau exclaims.

They rush out of the car and run towards the house. "You grab the kids, I'll get Jenny." Dean orders Isabeau and Sam.

Inside Sari's bedroom, the figure made out of fire is standing by her closet. In the hallway, Dean rushes to Jenny's bedroom door.

"Jenny!"

"I can't open the door!" Jenny exclaims.

"Stand back!" Dean yells to her. She moves back, Dean kicks down the door and brings her downstairs.

"No, my kids!"

"Isabeau and Sam's got your kids, come on." Dean reassures her.

While carrying Ritchie in his arms, Sam and Isabeau go to Sari's bedroom, where she is screaming for help. Isabeau freezes when she sees the figure made of fire, but then goes to Sari's bed and picks her up in her arms.

"Come here. Don't look. Don't look!" She tells Sari and she and Sam leave the bedroom with the kids.

Outside, Dean and Jenny rush out of the house, looking at the door, and waiting for the others to come out.

Inside the house, Sam and Isabeau rushes down the stairs and puts the kids down on the floor. "All right, Sari, take your brother outside as fast as you can, and don't look back." Sam tells her.

Suddenly, an invisible force makes Sam and Isabeau fall to the floor. They slide backwards into the kitchen, crashing into a table.

Sari screams and runs outside with Ritchie. They rush outside to Dean and Jenny, and Dean kneels down to Sari's eye level.

"Sari, where's Sam and Isabeau?"

"They're inside. Something's got them." Sari cries out.

Panicked, Dean looks at the front door and it slams shut on its own.

* * *

Dean opens the trunk of the Impala and grabs a rifle and an ax. He rushes to the front door and begins chopping away at it.

Inside the kitchen, Sam gets flung into a set of cabinets.

"Sam!" Isabeau screams out. Isabeau is suddenly flung across the room and into a set of glass cabinets, causing them to shatter.

"Isabeau!" Sam screams. He stands up and is pinned against the wall by the invisible force. He can't move any part of his body. "Beau." He calls out.

Isabeau stands up slowly, a bunch of small fresh cuts on her face from the glass. Once she's on her feet, she is pinned up against the wall, right next to Sam. She groans in pain, "Son of a bitch."

The figure made of fire makes its way towards Sam and Isabeau. With what little strength she has, Isabeau's shaking hand moves to Sam's, lacing their fingers together.

Dean continues chopping down parts of the door. Eventually, he makes a hole that he is able to step through. He walks through the house, looking for Sam and Isabeau. "Sam?! Isabeau!" He finds Sam and Isabeau. As he looks at the figure of fire, he raises his gun.

"No, don't! Don't!" Sam screams.

"What, why?!" Dean asks.

"Because I know who it is. I can see her now." Sam says.

Suddenly, the fire vanishes and instead, standing in front of them is Mary Winchester, exactly as she was the night she died.

Dean's expression softens and in shock, he lowers his gun slowly. "Mom?" Dean asks softly, not believing it's her.

Mary smiles and steps closer to him, "Dean."

Tears form in Dean's eyes. Mary walks away from him and goes to Sam. Dean watches her, never taking his eyes off her. "Sam."

Sam smiles weakly, crying.

Mary then looks over to Isabeau, "Isabeau…" Mary leans over and whispers into Isabeau's ear, quiet enough to not let Sam or Dean hear, "Take care of my boys. Love them."

She pulls away and her smile fades, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Sam asks, confused. Mary looks at him sadly, but says nothing. She walks away from them and looks up at the ceiling.

"You, get out of my house. And let go of my son and Isabeau." Once again, she bursts into flames. When she is entirely engulfed, the fire reaches the ceiling and disappears. The force holding Sam and Isabeau to the wall is released and they walk over to Dean.

Sam and Dean look at each other, stunned. "Now it's over." Sam says.

* * *

The next morning, Dean is standing by the car with Jenny, looking through old photos.

"Thanks for these." Dean says.

Jenny shakes her head, "Don't thank me, they're yours."

Dean puts the trunk of photos into the car and sitting on the front steps of the house, Sam is joined by Missouri.

"Well, there are no spirits in there anymore, this time for sure." Missouri takes a seat next to Sam.

"Not even my mom?" Sam asks.

Missouri shakes her head, "No."

"What happened?"

"Your mom's spirit and the poltergeist's energy, they cancelled each other out. Your mom destroyed herself goin' after the thing." Missouri explains.

"Why would she do something like that?"

Missouri smiles weakly, "Well, to protect her boys, of course." Sam nods, with tears in his eyes. Missouri goes to put her hand on his shoulder, but she stops herself, "Sam, I'm sorry."

He looks at her confused, "For what?"

"You sensed it was here, didn't you? Even when I couldn't." Missouri says.

"What's happening to me?" He asks.

"I know I should have all the answers, but I don't know." Missouri points over in the direction of Isabeau, who is standing in the front lawn of her old house across the street that had a for sale sign stuck in the ground. "Talk to Isabeau."

Sam looks over at Isabeau, her back turned to them,staring up at her old house.

"Why?"

Missouri sighs, "Isabeau is going through something similar. Things are happening to her, she's changing, evolving. And she feels like one day, she won't be able to control it." She pauses, "Isabeau is a mystery that not even her parents have figured out yet. There are parts of her that haven't shown themselves yet. Parts that she doesn't know about."

Sam turns to Missouri, "What parts?"

Missouri shakes her head, "I don't know. I can feel it, but I don't know what they are. She's going to need the help from the two people she loves to help her. Just as you need her."

Sam is confused, "Love?" He thinks that Missouri means in the sense of them being best friends.

Missouri smiles slyly at him, "I know, Sam. You and your brother being in love with her. You two aren't very quiet." She taps at her forehead.

Sam chuckles weakly, "I guess not."

Missouri shakes her head with a smile, "No you are not… but neither is she."

Sam looks at her in shock, "You mean…?"

Before Missouri could answer, Dean calls out, "Sam, you ready?" Sam nods and goes to the impala. Isabeau walks over to the impala as well, wiping away a few stray tears. Jenny thanks all of them.

"Don't you boys be strangers. You too, honey." Missouri calls out to them.

Isabeau smiles, "We won't, Aunty Missouri."

"See you around." Missouri says as Jenny waves. They all smile, get in the car, and drive away.

* * *

Missouri comes inside her house and sets her purse on the table, "That boy…he has such powerful abilities. But why he couldn't sense his own father, I have no idea." Over on her couch, John Winchester is sitting.

"Mary's spirit... do you really think she saved the boys and Isabeau?" He asks.

Missouri nods, "I do."

John nods sadly and twists his wedding ring on his finger.

"John Winchester, I could just slap you. Why won't you go talk to your children?" Missouri asks.

John shakes his head, "I want to. You have no idea how much I wanna see 'em. But I can't. Not yet. Not until I know the truth." He says tearfully and they share a look.

Missouri sighs, "And that daughter of yours, Bartholmieu. She grows more and more powerful everyday, and she couldn't sense you at all."

Bartholmieu comes out from the other room and takes a seat on the chair, across from John.

She shakes her head at him, "Why don't you tell her? You put her in danger by not telling her what she is."

Bartholmieu sighs, "You know I can't, Missouri. Until more family members come out of the woodwork and things move along, Isabeau won't know who she is for at least another decade."

John takes a breath, "Does Isabeau know what her mother did?"

Missouri nods, "She didn't tell me, but her mind did. She knows that Yvette tried to save Mary."

John nods, and looks over at Bartholmieu, "Do you mind coming out of retirement to help me?"

Bartholmieu chuckles, his eyes glowing violet, "I never retired. But for you, my friend, anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess no waiting until the weekend then for the next chapter, huh? This one was a little hard to write for some odd reason. I had such a block in the beginning and then it was smooth sailing from there. Hope you all enjoy! Next part should be up in the next couple of days.


	23. Asylum Pt.1

Sam is sitting on the bed, talking on the phone, "No, Dad was in California last we heard from him. We just thought...he comes to you for 'munitions...maybe you've seen him in the last few weeks. Just, call us if you hear anything."

"'Kay." The voice on the other line says.

"Thanks." Sam hangs up the phone.

"Caleb hasn't heard from him?" Dean asks, flipping through John's journal.

"Nope. And neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim. What about the journal? Anything leads in there?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head, "No, same as last time I looked. Nothing I can make out... I love the guy, but I swear, he writes like friggin' Yoda."

Isabeau walks into the motel room and closes the door behind her. She walks over to Sam and sits next to him, "So, Dad hasn't heard from John at all. He'll keep us updated if he does. Oh and get this."

Sam and Dean look at her, waiting. "What?"

Isabeau chuckles, "Dad is out of 'retirement'."

Dean scoffs in surprise, "You're kidding?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "Nope. At least it lasted a good two years. But he said he's not doing anything big without back up from his coven. And he's only picking up a couple here and there so that way he's not away from home for too long."

Isabeau sighs, "Anyway, any luck on your end?"

Sam shakes his head and pauses, "You know, maybe we should call the Feds. File a missing person's."

"We've talked about this. Dad'd be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail." Dean says.

"I'd be pissed." Isabeau comments.

"I don't care anymore." Sam says.

Dean's cell phone rings and he crosses the room.

"After all that happened back in Kansas, I mean...he should've been there, Dean. You said so yourself. You tried to call him and...nothing." Sam says.

"I know!" Dean rummages through his duffel, "Where the hell is my cell phone?"

"You know, he could be dead for all we know." Sam says.

Dean looks up, "Don't say that! He's not dead! He's – he's…"

"He's what? He's hiding? He's busy?"

Dean finds and flicks opens the cellphone.

Dean scoff, "Huh. I don't believe it."

"What?" Isabeau asks.

Dean sits down on the other bed, "It's, uh...It's a text message. It's coordinates."

* * *

Dean is typing on a laptop.

"You think Dad was texting us?" Sam asks.

"He's given us coordinates before." Dean answers.

Isabeau snorts, "The man can barely work a toaster, Dean." She knew John as well as his own sons knew him.

"Isabeau, it's good news! It means he's okay, or alive at least." Dean says.

"Well, was there a number on the caller ID?" Sam asks.

"Nah, it said 'unknown'."

"Okay, well, where do the coordinates point?"

"That's the interesting part. Rockford, Illinois." Dean tells them.

Isabeau purses her lips, "Ok, and that's interesting how?"

Dean glances at the two of them, "I checked the local Rockford paper. Take a look at this."

Sam and Isabeau walk over, taking a seat and look at the laptop. "This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, then puts the gun in his mouth, blows his brains out. And earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum." Dean explains to them.

"Okay, I'm not following. What has this have to do with us?" Sam asks.

Dean grabs John's journal, "Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal. Let's see…"

Dean finds the page he was looking for, "Here. Seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths – till last week at least. I think this is where he wants us to go."

Isabeau drops her face in her hands, realizing why John sent them the coordinates. Sam snorts, standing up from his seat, "This is a job... Dad wants us to work a job."

"I mean, maybe we'll meet up with him? Maybe he's there?" Dean says hopefully.

Isabeau picks her head up, and bites her lip, "Maybe he's not? I mean, he could be sending us there, by ourselves, to hunt this thing."

"Who cares!" Dean closes John's journal and the laptop, "If he wants us there, it's good enough for me!" Dean gets up and walks to his bed as Isabeau turns in her seat.

"This doesn't strike you as weird? The texting? The coordinates?" Sam asks.

"Sam! Dad's tellin' us to go somewhere, we're goin'." Dean says, walking out the door with his things.

Sam makes a bitchface and sighs. He turns to Isabeau, "Do you think this is a good idea?"

Isabeau sighs, getting up from her seat, "You really want to know what I think about all of this?"

Sam lets out a laugh, "Your opinion is important to me, Beau."

Isabeau bites on her lip again, and runs her fingers through her hair, "I think that John just wants us to leave him be for the time being. Hunting things. I think he wants to find whatever it was that killed Mary and Jessica without putting us in danger."

Isabeau chuckles bitterly, "Though we're always in danger so…" She shrugs, "I don't know, Sam. Parents are weird. They're only doing what they think is right even if they might be wrong."

Sam looks down in silence, "Do you think that this will ever change? That one day, this will all be over?"

"I want it to." Isabeau looks away, "By god, Sam. I want to be able to stop one day, you know that." In a way, she hated what she was. There were times where she wishes she was born human.

Sam nods, "I know."

"But I also know that I'm never going to. You, Dean and John… after you kill this thing. You can stop."

Sam stares at her, "Not if you continue."

Isabeau gives him a look, "Sam, you will not give up a chance at anything remotely normal for me." She knows that he loves her, but she also wanted him to be happy. Isabeau would give up her own happiness for him. He deserved a chance.

"But I don't want normal anymore." Sam says. 'I want you', is also what he wanted to say, but he still wasn't ready.

Isabeau says nothing, but grabs her jacket and the rest of her things, "Come on. We can talk about this later."

Sam stares after her as she walks out the door.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Isabeau asks. She was on her phone, sitting on the impala's hood.

The person on the other line sighs, "If there is one things I know about my older brother, black mamba, it's that he doesn't like to stay still for too long." Her Uncle C tells her.

"I know, it's just strange, you know? This whole thing with the boy's father and then all of the sudden right after, Dad goes back to hunting?" Isabeau explains.

"I can't shine a light on anything. My brother only likes to call once in a blue moon."

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "That is such a lie. Dad loves you and you know it." Isabeau can count the number of times on her hand that her father calls his brother every month.

Uncle C hums in thought, "You got me there. Think we could meet up quick tonight? I know this wonderful restaurant in Paris, France that just opened. We can pop in and I'll have you back to your boys before they even notice your missing."

Isabeau scoffs, "Paris? Uncle, the majority of the restaurants you take me to require me to dress up."

"Black mamba, you know that we must keep up with appearances. Besides, deep down, you love it." Uncle C tells her.

Isabeau groans, "I hate it when you call me out." Her Uncle C was right. Even though she wore baggy t-shirts, ripped jeans, worn out boots and too many leather jackets; deep down, Isabeau loved dressing up for special occasions.

Isabeau looks over at the bar, seeing Dean walk out, "I would love to, Uncle, but, um, we kind of got something going here."

Dean walks up to Isabeau taking a seat next to her, and tilts his head at her. 'Who is it?' He mouths to her.

'Uncle.' She mouths back and Dean nods.

"Ah, that's too bad. Raincheck?"

Isabeau laughs, "Raincheck, Uncle. I'm sure after this I can _drive up_ one night."

Uncle C chuckles, getting her hint, "Of course, do what you need to do. I'll wait patiently."

Isabeau scoffs, "You're never patient."

"I can be when I want to. I love you, black mamba."

Isabeau smiles, "I love you too." With that she hangs up her phone and places it in her jacket pocket.

"Uncle C, huh?" Dean asks.

Isabeau hums in confirmation, "Yep. He wants to take me to some fancy restaurant that just opened up."

"Fancy?"

She nods, "You know, doing up my hair, wearing a dress that could be put towards a semester of college debt and jewelry to go with it. The whole sha-bang."

Dean chuckles, "And he just has that stuff on hand?"

Isabeau nods, "Are you kidding me? That man has an entire room set up for me, complete with a closet full of clothing that I could use for a downpayment on a house. Actually scratch that, mansion."

Dean looks at her surprised, "Seriously? What does that man do for a living?"

Isabeau bites her lip, holding back a smirk, "He's pretty much head-honcho in his area of work. So he makes big bucks."

Isabeau juts her head to the bar, "How'd it go in there?"

Dean rolls his shoulders, "Good, Sam made it believable. Shoved me pretty hard." Rubbing a spot on his shoulder.

Isabeau pouts playfully, "Aww, poor baby. Want me to kiss it better?" Isabeau purses her lips, making kissing noises.

Dean smirks at her, leaning close, "I'd have you kiss more than just that, sweetheart."

Isabeau's jaw drops and dramatically fans herself, "Oh my, Dean. You sure know how to make a girl blush."

Dean shakes his head at her fondly as Sam walks out of the bar.

"Shoved me kinda hard in there, buddy boy." Dean says to Sam.

Sam raises his hands in defense, "I had to sell it, didn't I? It's method acting." He walks over to the passenger side.

Isabeau's eyes widen at Sam, "Wow." She whispers under her breath.

Isabeau and Dean turn around. "Huh?" Dean asks.

Sam waves him off, "Never mind."

Isabeau juts her head, "What'd you find out from Gunderson?"

Sam leans against the impala, "So, Walter Kelly was a good cop. Head of his class, even-keeled, he had a bright future ahead of him."

"What about at home?" Dean asks.

"He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody, but he was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids." Sam explains.

"Alright, so either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy waiting to bust out, or something else did it to him." Dean concludes.

"Right."

"What'd Gunderson tell you about the asylum?" Isabeau asks.

Sam scoffs, "A lot."

* * *

Sam, Dean and Isabeau jump over the tall chain linked fence at the asylum and enter. When they enter, Isabeau feels like she's going to throw up from all the pain that floods her.

"So apparently the cops chased the kids here...into the south wing." Sam indicates a sign over one door.

"South wing, huh? Wait a second," Dean flips through John's journal, "1972. Three kids broke into the south wing, only one survived. Way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts and started lighting up the place."

Isabeau takes a breath, pushing down her sickness, "So whatever's going on, the south wing is the heart of it."

"But if the kids are spelunking the asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" Dean asks.

Sam takes notes of the broken chain, "Looks like the doors are usually chained. Could've been chained up for years."

"Yeah, to keep people out. Or to keep something in." Dean closes John's journal.

They look at each other, and then look at Isabeau, who is leaning over in a corner, hands on her knees, breathing deeply. "Beau? Hey." The two walk over to her, Dean rubs her back and Sam pulls hair away from her face.

"Isabeau, what's wrong?" Dean asks, concerned.

Isabeau swallows, "Sam hold my hair back and both of you, look away." Sam holds her hair back and the two look away. She pulls over a stray bucket and empties out the contents of her stomach.

Sam and Dean look away with a grimace. They were a little disgusted by the noise, but they couldn't be mad at her. Something was obviously affecting her greatly.

Dean continues to rub at her back, "What happened?"

Isabeau coughs, "All the pain in this place, it's just seeping into me. It's vile." Isabeau is able to stop and wipes away some stray bile on the corner of her mouth. She pulls out a bandana that she keeps on her person and wipes it off her hand.

"Sorry." Isabeau stands up straight, throwing the dirty bandana into the bucket.

Sam shakes his head, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Beau."

Dean still rubs Isabeau's back, "You wanna sit this one out?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "No… I'm good now. I just need to close myself off from everything here. I'll be good. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Dean chuckles, "Wouldn't dream of it"

Sam goes back to the door and slowly pushes it open.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean walk down a hallway. "Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel." Dean comments.

"Dude, enough." Sam says, annoyed.

Dean chuckles, "I'm serious. You gotta be careful, all right? Ghosts are attracted to that whole ESP thing you got going on."

"I told you, it's not ESP! I just have strange vibes sometimes. Weird dreams." Sam says.

Dean looks down at his EMF, "Yeah, whatever. Don't ask, don't tell."

Isabeau sighs, "Dean, cool it. You get any reading on that thing or not?"

"Nope. Of course, it doesn't mean no one's home." Dean says.

"Spirits can't appear during certain hours of the day." Sam says.

"Yeah, the freaks come out at night."

"Yeah."

Isabeau glances at them with a smile, "3am; the witching hour. When the supernatural is at their most powerful."

Dean smiles at her but then addresses Sam, deadpan, "Hey Sam, who do you think is the hotter psychic: Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?"

Sam pushes Dean, who laughs.

Isabeau laughs as well, "Oh, Sam, hundred percent. Ow!"

* * *

They walk into a room full of medical supplies and an old examination chair in the middle of the room. Sam coughs and Isabeau makes a face of disgust, "Way cooler in horror movies." She comments and Sam gives her a look.

Dean whistles, "Man. Electro-shock. Lobotomies. They did some twisted stuff to these people. Kinda like my man Jack in Cuckoo's Nest." Dean makes crazy eyes and grins at Sam and Isabeau.

Isabeau returns it, but Sam ignores him and Dean's smile drops. They look around some more.

"So. Whaddaya think? Ghosts possessing people?" Dean asks.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's more like Amityville, or the Smurl hunting." Sam says.

"Spirits driving them insane. Kinda like my man Jack in The Shining." Isabeau grins. Dean holds his hand up and Isabeau high-fives it, then walks away, looking at the rest of the room.

"Dean." Dean looks at Sam. "When are we going to talk about it?" Sam asks.

"Talk about what?"

"About the fact Dad's not here."

Isabeau sighs, "Oh boy." She whispers to herself.

"Oh, uh, let's see, never." Dean says.

"I'm being serious, man."

"So am I, Sam. Look, he sent us here, he obviously wants us here. We'll just have to pick up the search later." Dean tells him.

"It doesn't matter what he wants." Sam argues.

Dean points at him, "See. That attitude? Right there? That is why I always get the extra cookie."

Sam shakes his head, "Dad could be in trouble, we should be looking for him. We deserve some answers, Dean. I mean, this is our family we're talking about."

Dean nods, "I understand that, Sam, but he's given us an order."

"So what, we gotta always follow Dad's orders?" Sam asks.

"Of course we do."

Sam gives Dean a frustrated face. Dean stares at him then turns away, ending the conversation.

Isabeau pokes around and picks up a sign, "'Sanford Ellicott'...You know what we gotta do. We gotta find out more about the south wing. See if something happened here." Isabeau states, placing the sign in Dean's arm and walks away from the both of them, not looking at either of them in the eye. She was sick and tired of the fighting.

Dean sighs and walks away, leaving the sign with Sam, who stares down at it.

* * *

Isabeau sits in the waiting room, on a couch and flicking through a magazine. A man comes to the open door. The sign on the door reads 'Dr James Ellicott, Clinical Psychiatry'.

"Isabeau Fitzgerald MacLeod?" Dr. Ellicott calls for her.

Isabeau smiles softly, hearing her actual last name being said for the first time in years, "I usually just go by Isabeau Fitzgerld, but that's me."

Dr. Ellicott waves her forward, "Come on in."

Isabeau closes the magazine, tosses it on the couch and they move into the inner room.

"Thanks again for seeing me last minute." Isabeau takes a seat, taking off her jacket.

She looks around the room, "Dr...Ellicott. Ellicott, that name. Wasn't there a...a Dr. Sanford Ellicott? Yeah, he was a chief psychiatrist somewhere."

"My father was chief of staff at the old Roosevelt Asylum. How did you know?" Dr. Ellicott asks her.

Isabeau smiles sheepishly, leans back and crosses one leg over the other, "Ah. Well, I'm sorta...a local history buff. Hey, wasn't there, an incident or something? In the hospital, I guess. In the south wing, right?"

"We're on your dollar, Isabeau. We're here to talk about you." Dr. Ellicott reminds her.

Isabeau shakes her head, "Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. Sure." She chuckles.

"So."

"So."

"How's things?" He asks her.

"Ah, things are good, doctor." Isabeau forces a smile.

"Good. What you been doing?"

Isabeau thinks, "Ahh, same old. I just been on a... on a road trip with my… with my two best friends."

"Was that fun?"

Isabeau pauses, fun in some aspects, shitty in others, "Loads. Umm. You know, we...ahh...we...met...a lot of ...interesting people. Did a lot of ...ah...interesting things...ahhh. You know? What was it exactly that happened in the south wing? I forget…"

"Look, if you're a local history buff, you know all about the Roosevelt riot." Dr. Ellicott interrupts her.

"The riot? Well, no. I know. I'm just curious." Isabeau says.

"Isabeau. Let's cut the bull, shall we. You're avoiding the subject." Dr. Ellicott leans forward, elbows resting on his knees.

Isabeau blinks at him, "What subject?"

"You. Now I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you all about the Roosevelt riot, if you tell me something honest about yourself. Like, uh, these two best friends you're road tripping with. How do you feel about them?

Isabeau looks at him, a little freaked out. Well, doc, how do you feel about the idea of polyamory relationships?

* * *

Dean and Sam lean against glass windows next to the door, looking bored.

Isabeau walks past them, and Dean and Sam catch up and match her pace.

"Beau! You were in there forever. What the hell were you talking about?" Dean asks.

Isabeau glances at them, "Just the hospital, you know." She lies through her teeth, not wanting to tell them the real reason why she was taking so long; not yet at least.

"And...?" Sam asks.

"And the south wing? It's where the housed the really hard cases. The psychotics, the criminally insane." Isabeau explains.

"Sounds cozy." Dean comments.

"Yeah. And one night in '64, they rioted. Attacked staff. Attacked each other."

"So the patients took over the asylum?" Sam asks.

"Apparently." She answers.

"Any deaths?"

Isabeau sighs, "Some patients, some staff. I guess it was pretty gory. Some of the bodies were never even recovered, including our chief of staff, Ellicott."

Dean furrows his brow, "Whaddaya mean, never recovered?"

"Cops scoured every inch of the place but I guess the patients must've...stuffed the bodies somewhere hidden." Isabeau guesses.

"That's grim."

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. So, they transfered all the remaining patients and closed the hospital down."

"Alright, so, to sum it up, we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of unrecovered bodies." Sam concludes.

"And a bunch of angry spirits."

"Good times. Let's check out the hospital tonight." Dean says.

* * *

They head back to the asylum, Sam pushes open the door with Isabeau and Dean beside him. Sam is holding a video camera, Isabeau with a flashlight, and Dean has the EMF meter.

"Getting readings?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, big time." Dean answers.

"This place is orbing like crazy." Sam says, Dean and Isabeau glance at the video camera,seeing a bunch of orbs floating in the hallway.

"Probably multiple spirits out and about." Dean suggests.

"And if these uncovered bodies are causing the haunting…" Sam trails off.

Isabeau moves her flashlight around the hall, "We gotta find 'em and burn 'em. Just be careful though. The only thing that makes me more nervous than a pissed off spirit... is the pissed off spirit of a psycho killer."

They keep walking, and they hear something behind them. They turn around to find nothing. Isabeau shakes in disgust, "This place is fucking creepy." They continue walking.


	24. Asylum Pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: (again I don't know if I need to put these or not, but I will just in case. Mentions of suicidal tendencies in this chapter.)

Sam, Isabeau and Dean keep looking and move into separate rooms; Dean on his own and Isabeau goes along with Sam. After a minute of looking around, Sam sees an old woman through the video lens, only thing was, she was right in front of them. She was white haired, with one eye bloody and hanging out, moving toward them.

"Dean? Dean!" Sam exclaims, pulling Isabeau to him. Dean runs into the room, rummaging in his bag at the same time. "Shotgun!" Isabeau tells him.

"Sam, Beau, get down!" Dean yells.

Sam throws himself and Isabeau on the ground and Dean shoots the woman; she disintegrates.

They all look around, gasping.

"That was weird." Sam says.

Dean sighs, "Yeah. You're telling me."

Dean starts moving out of the room, Sam and Isabeau follow.

"No, Dean, I mean it was weird that she didn't attack us." Sam says.

"Looked pretty aggro from where I was standing."

Isabeau huffs, "She didn't hurt us. She didn't even try! So if she didn't wanna hurt us then what did she want?"

A noise comes from a room they are passing. Dean immediately raises his shotgun and Isabeau flicks on the flashlight and shines it into the room.

They approach a metal bed covered in a ragged sheet, on its side and see the top of a blonde head behind it. They brace themselves.

Sam reaches out and tips the bed over. A girl is crouched facing the corner and she spins around, terrified and gasping.

"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you. It's okay. What's your name?" Dean lowers his gun.

The girl stands up, "Katherine. Kat."

Dean nods, "Okay. I'm Dean, this is Sam. This is Isabeau."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asks.

"Um. My boyfriend, Gavin." Kat stutters out.

"Is he here?" Isabeau asks.

"Somewhere. He thought it would be fun, try and see some ghosts. I thought it was all just...you know. Pretend. I've seen things. I heard Gavin scream and…"

Isabeau nods, "Alright. Kat? Come on. Sam and Dean are gunna get you out of here and then we're gunna find your boyfriend." Isabeau starts to lead her away, Sam and Dean give her a look.

Kat stops Isabeau, "No! No. I'm not going to leave without Gavin. I'm coming with you."

Dean shakes his head, "It's no joke around here, okay. It's dangerous."

"That's why I gotta find him."

Dean and Sam look at each other, and Isabeau shrugs.

"Alright, I guess we gunna split up then. Let's go." Dean says walking away.

* * *

Isabeau went off on her own, while Sam and Dean went with Kat. Isabeau is wandering around the halls, "Gavin... Gavin?"

She continues searching and walks into a room, stopping when she sees Gavin on the ground unconscious. She crouches to shake him, "Gavin? Hey, Gavin." Gavin wakes up and freaks out. "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here to help."

"Who are you?" Gavin asks.

"My name is Isabeau. Uh, we found your girlfriend." Isabeau explains.

She offers Gavin a hand and helps him up. "Kat?"

"Yeah."

"Is she alright?" Gavin asks.

"Yeah. She's worried about you. Are you okay?" Isabeau asks.

Gavin breathes deeply, "I was running. I think I fell."

"You were running from what?"

"There was...there was this girl. Her face. It was all messed up." Gavin explains.

Isabeau nods, "Okay listen, did this girl... did she try and hurt you?"

Gavin shakes his head, "What? No, she...uh…"

"She what?"

"She...kissed me."

Isabeau blinks in surprise, "Uh...um...but...but she didn't hurt you, physically?"

"Dude! She kissed me. I'm scarred for life!" Gavin exclaims.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Well, trust me, it could have been worse. Now do you remember anything else?"

Gavin shakes his head again, "She uh...actually, she tried to whisper something in my ear."

"What?"

Gavin shrugs, "I don't know. I ran like hell."

* * *

Isabeau comes running down the hall to Sam and Dean, who are banging at a metal door with broken metal pipes, with Gavin following her, "What's going on?" She exclaims.

"She's inside with one of them." Dean tells her.

Kat screams from inside," Help me!"

"Kat!" Gavin shouts.

"Get me outta here!"

Isabeau speaks to Kat through the door, "Kat, it's not going to hurt you. Listen to me. You've got to face it. You've got to calm down."

Dean turns to Isabeau, astonished, "She's gotta what?!"

"I have to what?!" Kat exclaims.

Isabeau sighs, gritting her teeth, "These spirits, they're not trying to hurt us, they're trying to communicate. You gotta listen to it. You gotta face it."

"You face it!

Sam stops banging at the door, understanding what Isabeau was trying to do, "No! It's the only way to get out of there." He exclaims.

"No!"

"Look at it, that's all. Come on, you can do it." Isabeau encourages her.

They were met with silence.

"Kat?" Gavin asks.

"Man, I hope you're right about this." Dean tells Isabeau.

Isabeau reaches down and touches her rosary, "Yeah, me too."

They wait outside the door in tense silence. The lock clicks and the door slowly opens and Kat is standing in the doorway.

"Oh, Kat." Gavin sighs in relief.

Sam goes inside to check out the room. He comes back out, shaking his head at Dean and Isabeau.

"One thirty-seven." Kat says.

They look at her, confused. "Sorry?" Dean asks.

Kat takes a breath, "It whispered in my ear. 137."

Sam and Dean look at each other, "Room number."

Sam, Isabeau and Dean crouch down against the wall where they can't be heard.

"Alright. So if these spirits aren't trying to hurt anyone…" Sam says.

"Then what are they trying to do?" Dean asks.

Isabeau sighs, "Maybe that's what they've been trying to tell us…"

"I guess we'll find out." Dean says.

Sam nods, "Alright."

All three of them stand up from the wall. "So, now, are you guys ready to leave this place?" Dean asks.

Kat nods, "That's an understatement."

"Okay." Dean turns to Sam and Isabeau, "You get them outta here. I'm going to go find room 137."

* * *

Sam and Isabeau lead Kat and Gavin down a hallway.

"So. How do you guys know about all this ghost stuff?" Kat asks.

"It's kinda our job." Sam tells her.

"Why would anyone want a job like that?"

Isabeau scoffs, "I had a crappy guidance counselor." She walks forward, taking the lead.

Kat turns to Sam, "And Dean? He's your boss?"

Sam looks down at her, "No."

Kat points to Isabeau, "Is Isabeau?"

Sam huffs out a laugh, "No. Just a woman who is strong willed."

* * *

Sam marches down a hallway, catching up with Isabeau and tries the door, but it's locked. He tries another one, also locked.

"Alright. I think we have a small problem." Sam addresses everyone.

"Then break it down." Gavin says.

Isabeau shakes her head, "I don't think that's gunna work."

"Then a window."

"They're barred." Kat tells Gavin.

"Then how are we supposed to get out?" Gavin asks.

"That's the point. We're not. There's something in here. It doesn't want us to leave." Sam says.

"Those patients…" Kat guesses.

"No. Something else." Isabeau tells her.

* * *

Sam moves back down a hallway toward Isabeau, Kat and Gavin, "Alright, I've looked everywhere. There's no other way out."

"So what the hell are we gunna do?" Gavin asks, panicked.

Isabeau stares at him deadpanned, "Well for starters, we're not gunna panic."

"Why the hell not!"

Isabeau's phone rings and she answers, "Hey."

She hears Dean's voice, but the connection is terrible, "Isabeau, it's me. I see it. It's coming at me."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the basement. Hurry up!" He tells her.

"I'm on my way." Isabeau hangs up and looks at Sam, Kat and Gavin.

She glances at Sam, "Stay here with them. And you two, can either of you handle a shotgun?"

"What? No!" Gavin exclaims.

"I can." Kat admits.

Gavin looks at her in amazement.

Kat shrugs, "My dad took me skeet shooting a coupla times."

Isabeau nods, handing Kat a gun, "Alright, here. It's loaded with rock salt. It may not kill a spirit, but it will repel it. So if you see something, shoot."

"Okay."

Isabeau huffs, "Good." Isabeau turns to walk away with another gun in her hands.

"Beau." Sam calls her.

She turns around at the end of the hall, "Yeah?"

Sam licks his lips, "Be careful."

Isabeau smiles at Sam, "When am I ever careful?" With that, Isabeau runs off to help Dean.

Sam sighs, "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

Isabeau is searching through hallways and rooms, "Dean!" She walks into a room that says, 'Caution Biological Hazard.' "Dean!"

She looks around and her flashlight flickers and fades. Isabeau puts her gun under her arm and shakes and taps the flashlight. A door behind her swings open.

Isabeau drops her flashlight and she raises her shot gun and approaches carefully, "Dean?" She walks in, looking around, gun at the ready, "Dean?"

A shadow moves behind a ragged curtain, drawing her attention. When she pulls the curtain back there's no one there.

She turns...and an old beaten up man with ragged hair and clothes grabs her face. His hands start glowing and Isabeau grunts in pain.

"Don't be afraid. I'm going to make you all better." The man says.

* * *

Sam stares down the hall as Gavin paces, and Kat is crouched against the wall holding the shotgun.

Kat sighs, "Hey, Gavin?"

Gavin comes to crouch beside her, "Yeah?"

"If we make it out of here alive...we are so breaking up." Gavin stares at her.

Sam shakes his head amused at the young couple.

They hear a noise around the corner and both rise. Sam ready's his gun, waiting.

Kat raises her own shotgun, "Did you hear that?"

"Something's coming." Gavin says.

Sam lowers his gun when he sees Dean come around the corner. Dean sees Sam and Kat just as she pulls the trigger. He throws himself back around the corner.

Dean crouches against the wall, "Damn it, damn it, don't shoot! It's me!"

"Sorry! Sorry."

"Dean!?" Sam calls out.

"Son of a …" Dean comes round the corner and looks at the marks left in the wall, "What are you still doing here!?"

Dean turns to Sam, "Where's Isabeau?"

Sam furrows his brow, "She went to the basement. You called her."

Dean shakes his head, "I didn't call her."

"Her cell phone rang, Dean. She said it was you." Sam exclaims.

"Basement, huh?"

Dean and Sam share a look and Dean grabs some extra weapons," Alright. Watch yourselves...and watch out for us!"

* * *

Dean and Sam look around in the basement, "Beau… Isabeau, you down here?" Dean calls.

"Isabeau? Isabeau!" Sam yells.

As they turn, Isabeau is standing right in front of him. Dean and Sam jump back, automatically raising their shotguns.

Sam sighs, "Man, answer us when we're calling you! You alright?"

Isabeau shrugs, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"You know it wasn't me who called your cell, right?" Dean asks.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, I know. I think something lured me down here."

"I think I know who. Dr. Ellicott. That's what the spirits have been trying to tell us. You haven't seen him, have you?" Dean explains.

Isabeau shakes her head, "No. How do you know it was him?"

Dean sighs, "'Cause I found his log book. Apparently he was experimenting on his patients, awful stuff. Makes lobotomies look like a coupla aspirin."

Sam speaks before Isabeau can, "But it was the patients who rioted."

Dean nods, "Yeah. They were rioting against Dr. Ellicott. Dr. Feelgood was working on some sort of, like, extreme rage therapy. He thought that if he could get his patients to vent their anger then they would be cured of it. Instead it only made them worse and worse and angrier and angrier. So I'm thinking, what if his spirit is doing the same thing? To the cop? To the kids in the seventies, making them so angry they become homicidal... Come on, we gotta find his bones and torch 'em." Dean and Sam walk past her.

Isabeau scoffs, "How? The police never found his body."

"The log book said he had some sort of hidden procedure room down here somewhere where he'd work on his patients. So, if I was a patient I'd drag his ass down here, do a little work on it myself." Dean explains.

"I don't know, it sounds kinda…" Isabeau purses her lips.

"Crazy?" Sam suggests.

"Yeah."

"Yeah. Exactly." Dean confirms.

Dean and Sam open another door, look inside, Dean then gestures with his head for Isabeau to follow. Isabeau watches them and gives them a stealthy, sly look.

They all enter the room.

"I told you I looked everywhere. I didn't find a hidden room." Isabeau tells them.

"Well, that's why they call it hidden…" Dean says. Both brothers hear wind. "You hear that?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shakes her head, "What?"

Dean and Sam look around, crouch and hold their hands out. "There's a door here." Dean states.

Isabeau smirks, "Sam… Dean." The brothers turn to her as she waves her hand, making Sam's gun fly into her free hand, now having two shotguns; both pointed at Sam and Dean. A trickle of blood runs from his nose," Step back from the door."

Dean and Sam rise to their feet, their eyes going from the guns to Isabeau's face. "Isabeau, put the gun down." Dean tells her softly.

Isabeau tilts her head at him, "Is that an order, Dearie?"

Dean licks his lips, "Nah, it's more of a friendly request."

Isabeau raises her guns to point at Dean's and Sam's chests, "Never thought I'd see the day where you order me around like some dog… just like your dad."

Sam smiles bitterly, "I knew it. Ellicott did something to you."

Isabeau laughs, "Oh, Sam. Just a little anger. It never hurt anybody." Isabeau smirks, "Well…" Her eyes glow a fiery blue. "Not on purpose."

Dean and Sam stare in shock, they never saw that color before, "What are you gunna do, Isabeau? Gun's filled with rock salt. It's not gunna kill us." Dean says.

Isabeau shoots Dean and Sam in the chest. The shot blasts both of them backwards through the hidden door and they fall to the floor.

Isabeau shrugs, "No. But it will hurt like hell." Isabeau then pouts, "And I really wish I didn't have to hurt you two."

Sam and Dean lie on the floor, coming to and gasping for breath.

"Isabeau!" Dean coughs.

Isabeau stands over them and tilts her head.

Sam groans, "We gotta burn Ellicott's bones and all this will be over, and you'll be back to normal."

Isabeau laughs, raising her hands, they suddenly burst into fiery blue flames, "I am normal. Dr. Ellicott just made me aware that anger thrives in me. I'm not angry at you two… I don't know if I could ever be. I'm angry at myself."

Isabeau laughs, throwing her hands up in defeat, "Everyday I'm angry at myself. Newsflash boys, your little Isabeau, hates herself. I hate what I am. I'm angry that I was born a supernatural abomination! Why couldn't I be human? Things would be simple."

Dean looks at Isabeau sadly, "This isn't you talking, Isabeau."

Isabeau scoffs, "Scratch what I said about being angry with you. I am very angry with the _both_ of you! All you two do is fight because of your father! Guess what? Your daddy sends us all on random hunts because he can't face you two. He doesn't want you to know how much of a disgrace of a father he is! I mean, what father treats his children like soldiers?"

Isabeau laughs to herself, "And that's another thing. When this is done with. When we kill whatever this thing is. Both of you won't stop hunting because of me. You will hunt by my side and I don't want that for you! I don't deserve that devotion! I am a monster who doesn't deserve any love!"

Sam and Dean look at her sadly. Did she really think about herself like that? Did she hate herself that much?

"Beau… you can't think like that." Sam whispers out.

Isabeau glares at him, tears falling down her face, "Too bad, Stretch. Have for a long time." She looks over at Dean, "You said Ellicott leads people to become homicidal?"

Dean looks at her confused.

Isabeau scoffs, waving her hand, making Dean's gun full of bullets fly into her hand. She presses it up against her temple, "Why don't we test that theory?"

"You hate yourself that much?" Dean asks, voice breaking near the end. Tears well up in both brothers' eyes.

Isabeau stares at him deadpan, her blue flames dying down and she pulls the trigger. The chamber is empty. She stares at them angry as she tries again, and once more. Isabeau goes over to Dean to grab whatever bullet he had on him.

Dean uses a right cross to knock Isabeau to the ground and struggles to get up.

Dean moves to stand over Isabeau, "Beau, I'm not going to let you have a loaded pistol!"

Sam stares up at him and Dean delivers a vicious right cross to knock Isabeau out, almost falling as he does so.

Dean pushes away stray hairs from her face, "Sorry, Beau."

Sam gets up and so does Dean, they both look down at Isabeau sadly. "Did you know?" Sam's voice breaks.

Dean bites his lip, "No."

Sam sighs, "Did you have to hit her that hard?"

Dean gives him a look, "She'll thank me later."

"She'll kick your ass later."

Dean and Sam begin to look around the room, pushing back ragged curtains with their guns. Dr. Ellicott glides past, but Dean and Sam don't notice.

They see a tuft of something poking out of the corner of a closed cupboard and move closer. Dean opens the door to find a mummified corpse and both flinch back from the smell, gagging.

"Oh, that's just gross." Dean comments.

Sam grabs their bag and Dean salts the body, "Soak it up."

Dean drops the salt container and Sam grabs a small tin of kerosene, squirting the body. In the background Dean's flashlight flickers, unnoticed.

A gurney comes flying across the room and knocks Dean and Sam to the ground. Dr. Ellicott grabs Dean's face and his hands light up. "Don't be afraid. I'm going to help you. I'm going to make you all better."

Sam struggles to get up, watching from the side as Dr. Ellicott stands over Dean.

Suddenly, the cupboard that held Dr. Ellicott's body flies backwards. Sam looks up to see it land besides Isabeau, who is standing there, eyes glowing a fiery blue, her hands in flames, matching the bright blue color. "Don't touch my boys!"

She thrusts her hand into the cupboard, igniting Dr. Ellicott's remains in blue flames.

Dr. Ellicott lets go of Dean as his remains start to burn. Dean crawls out of the way and watches as Dr. Ellicott's ghost turns black and falls to the ground, crumbling on impact.

Dena and Sam look up at Isabeau, her eyes stop glowing and her flames disintegrate. She moves her jaw around, wincing at the pain.

"You good?" Dean asks.

Isabeau gives him a genuine smile, "Yeah, I'm good. That punch brought me to my senses. Think I used up all my anger for the next couple of months."

Sam chuckles at her, "Beau?"

"Yeah?"

He shakes his head, "Don't ever change."

Isabeau chuckles, "Eh, I'll get back to you on that."

* * *

They all got out of the asylum the following morning. "Thanks, guys." Kat says.

"Yeah. Thanks." Gavin echoes her.

"No more haunted asylums, okay?" Dean tells them.

They watch Gavin and Kat walk toward their car, then turn to the impala.

"Hey, guys?"

Dean and Sam turn to look at her.

Isabeau sighs, "I'm sorry. I said some awful things back there about your dad."

"You remember all that?" Dean asks.

Isabeau bites her lip, "Yeah. It's like I couldn't control it. There was no filter… I'm sorry." Isabeau's voice breaks, and starts walking away from them.

"Woah, woah. Hey, Beau." Sam runs to her and Dean follows, both of them panicked at her reaction.

Sam stops her, and turns her around. Tears are falling down her face like a waterfall. "I'm pathetic. I shouldn't be here… I should leave."

Dean grabs her upper arm, "You are not leaving us, Beau."

"You know how I feel. I hate myself… I'm scared of myself. Why? Why do you want me?!"

"Because god damn it, we need you, Isabeau!" Dean yells at her.

Isabeau breathes heavily, "I'm not worth it."

Sam cups Isabeau's cheeks, brushing away tears with his thumbs, "You are worth everything, Isabeau. Whatever you are going through, we do it together, all of us."

Isabeau stares at them in silence and nods after a few moments. Isabeau wipes away her tears when Sam pulls away, she laughs bitterly, "Wow, I'm turning into a soft puddle of goo around you guys. I don't think I've cried this much in a long time."

Sam smiles sadly at her, "Maybe you need it."

Isabeau chuckles, "Maybe I do."

She reaches down and holds onto both Dean and Sam's hands, "Come on, crying takes a day of hunting out of me. I just want to sleep."

Dean leans down and kisses her on the forehead, "Anything for you, sweetheart."

* * *

The three headed into town, finding the nearest motel. And per Isabeau's request, they got a room with the biggest bed and the three went back to their old cuddling position. Not too long after their heads hit the pillows, all of them fell into a peaceful sleep.

But that peaceful sleep didn't last as long as they hoped.

A phone rings throughout the motel room.

"Dean." Sam wakes up, hearing the phone.

Dean doesn't move, his arms tighten around an unconscious Isabeau's torso. Frowning, Sam untangles himself from Isabeau, causing her to groan at his movement. Sam gives her a quick kiss on her forehead, easing her back to sleep and leans over, grabs Dean's phone from the end table and checks the number, then flips it open.

"Hello."

He listens, then sits straight up in bed, "Dad?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, lot to unpack.
> 
> Also fun fact: Isabeau's fire turns a bright blue when she is very angry (rage). Reason why it's blue is because the hottest part of a flame is the blue part. Her fire coincides mostly with her emotion anger. Red/orange flames = normal and blue flames = rage.


	25. Scarecrow Pt.1

_**Previously on Supernatural...** _

_A phone rings throughout the motel room._

_"Dean." Sam wakes up, hearing the phone._

_Dean doesn't move, his arms tighten around an unconscious Isabeau's torso. Frowning, Sam untagles himself from Isabeau, causing her to groan at his movement. Sam gives her a quick kiss on her forehead, easing her back to sleep and leans over, grabs Dean's phone from the end table and checks the number, then flips it open._

_"Hello."_

"Sam, is that you?" John asks from the other line.

Sam sits straight up in bed, "Dad? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"We've been looking for you everywhere. We didn't know where you were, if you were okay." Sam says.

"Sammy, I'm all right. What about you, Dean and Isabeau?" John asks. Mentioning their names, Isabeau and Dean begin to wake up.

Sam glances at his brother and Isabeau, "We're fine. Dad, where are you?" Dean sits up in bed and Isabeau still lays in bed and rubs at her eyes, the temptation of falling back to sleep tugging at her mind.

"Sorry, kiddo, I can't tell you that." John says.

"What? Why not?" Sam asks.

"Is that Dad?" Dean asks Sam.

"Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You're just gonna have to trust me on this." John says.

Sam pauses, "You're after it, aren't you? The thing that killed Mom."

"Yeah. It's a demon, Sam."

"A demon? You know for sure?" Sam asks him.

"A demon? What's he saying?" Dean starts putting on his shirt.

"I do. Bartholmieu is helping me and he's certain. Listen, Sammy, I, uh…I also know what happened to your girlfriend. I'm so sorry. I would've done anything to protect you from that." John tells him.

"Bartholmieu?...You know where it is?" Sam asks. Isabeau perks up at her father's name and sits up.

"Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it." John nods from the other line. He glances over at his car where Bartholmieu is leaning over the hood with a map. "We're close."

"Let us help."

"You can't. You can't be any part of it."

"Why not?" Sam asks, confused.

Dean puts out his hand, "Give me the phone."

"Listen, Sammy, that's why I'm calling. You, your brother and Isabeau, you gotta stop looking for me. Alright, now, I need you to write down these names." John tells him.

"Names? What names, Dad—talk to me, tell me what's going on." Sam says.

"Look, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe." John says.

Sam licks his lips, "No. Alright? No way."

"Give me the phone." Dean commands again.

"I've given you an order. Now, you stop following me, and you do your job. You understand me? Now, take down these names." Dean grabs the phone from Sam, who clenches his fist. Isabeau places a hand on top of Sam's. The second she does, Sam holds onto it tightly.

"Dad, it's me. Where are you?… Yes, sir… Uh, yeah, I got a pen. What are their names?" Dean grabs a pen and paper from the nightstand and starts writing down names.

Dean stops writing down names and pauses. He nods giving the phone to Isabeau, "Dad wants to talk to you."

Isabeau furrows her eyebrows, she takes the phone and steps out of the bed, and starts to put her jeans on while talking. "John?"

"Isabeau, it's good to hear you."

"John, what's going on? Is my Dad with you?" Isabeau asks, throwing on her shirt.

John pauses, "Yeah. I asked him to help."

Isabeau sits down on one of the chairs and starts putting on her socks and shoes, "Old team back together, huh?"

John chuckles, "Wouldn't be the old team without your mother."

Isabeau huffs out a laugh, "Yeah, I guess not. So, a demon?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I need you to be careful. This demon… Bartholmieu believes that you're in it's line of sight."

Isabeau glances up at Sam and Dean, who are looking at her anxiously. She leans back in her chair, rubbing at her eyes, sleep is still trying to lure her back into it's sweet pit, "Why? I got nothing to do with it."

"Family, Isabeau."

Isabeau shakes her head in confusion, "John, what are you talking about? My family has nothing to do with this demon. What aren't you telling me?"

"Just watch your back, and don't tell Sam or Dean that the demon might be after you."

"John I can't do that. You know I can't."

John sighs, "Stay safe. Your father will call you soon. Take care."

"John!" Isabeau says, but John hangs up the phone before Isabeau could ask more.

* * *

Isabeau is sprawled out in the backseat, passed out. Both Sam and Dean noticed that she was still unbelievably tired and told her to fall back asleep. Isabeau refused at first, but after an hour of driving, her eyes closed and became but a whisper in the back seat.

"Alright, so, the names Dad gave us, they're all couples?" Sam asks while driving the impala.

Dean nods, "Three different couples. All went missing."

"And they're all from different towns? Different states?"

"That's right. You got Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road trip cross-country. None of them arrived at their destination, and none of them were ever heard from again." Dean explains.

"Well, it's a big country, Dean. They could've disappeared anywhere."

"Yeah, could've. But each one's route took 'em to the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April. One year after another after another." Dean says.

"This is the second week of April." Sam tells him.

"Yep."

Sam takes a breath, "So, Dad is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?"

Dean points at him, "Yahtzee. Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits Dad had to go through? The man's a master."

Sam is annoyed, he pulls over to the side of the road and turns off the car.

Dean looks at him confused, "What are you doing?"

Sam glances at Isabeau's unconscious form in the rear-view mirror before speaking to Dean, "We're not going to Indiana."

"We're not?" Dean asks.

"No. We're going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code." Sam tells him.

"Sam."

"Dean, if this demon killed Mom and Jess, and Dad and Bartholmieu are closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help." Sam says.

"Dad doesn't want our help." Dean says.

"Well, I don't care."

"He's given us an order."

"I don't care." Sam says firmly, "We don't always have to do what he says."

"Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives, it's important." Dean says.

Sam nods, "Alright, I understand, believe me, I understand. But I'm talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge."

Dean sighs, "Alright, look, I know how you feel."

"Do you?" Dean is shocked at Sam's tone. "How old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. How the hell would you know how I feel?"

Sam turns to Isabeau, who is somehow sleeping through their arguing. If she was awake, she would've probably dragged both of them out of the car by their ears and told them to knock it off.

"And Isabeau. She told us what Dad told her. She could be in danger because of this demon, Dean. It could kill her. I can't lose her on top of Jess. I can't lose her before I tell her that I love her."

Dean bites his lip, "Dad said it wasn't safe. For any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away.

Sam shakes his head, "I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man. I mean, it's like you don't even question him."

Dean yells at him, "Yeah, it's called being a good son!" Isabeau still doesn't wake up.

Sam, angry, gets out of the car. Dean also gets out and watches Sam unloading things from the trunk. "You're a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks." Dean tells him.

"That's what you really think?" Sam asks him.

"Yes, it is." Dean answers immediately.

Sam scoffs, "Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California." He puts on his backpack and starts walking away.

"Come on, you're not serious."

"I am serious."

"It's the middle of the night! Hey, I'm taking off, I will leave your ass, you hear me?" Dean yells at him.

Sam stops walking and turns around, "That's what I want you to do."

"You're gonna leave, Beau? Without even talking to her?!" Dean exclaims. They stare at each other for a few seconds, waiting.

Sam clenches his jaw. He didn't want to leave Isabeau without telling her. He was at war with himself. He wanted Isabeau to come with him, but at the same time, wherever this demon was, she could be in danger being around his father or Bartholmieu. For right now, until he found his father, Isabeau was safer with Dean.

"Goodbye, Sam." Dean closes the trunk, gets in the car, and drives away. Sam watches him leave with Isabeau. Sam huffs, wrapping his hand around his cell phone in his pocket and then starts walking away.

He was getting ready to answer an angry phone call for Isabeau.

* * *

Dean pulls over to the side of the road and pulls out his cell phone. He selects the name "Sam Mobile" and thinks about calling Sam.

"You're gonna have to call him." Isabeau comments from the passenger seat. She woke up not too long after Dean left Sam. Isabeau was disappointed in the both of them. She herself didn't call Sam yet. She wanted to give both brothers time to cool off.

Dean sighs, "Beau, I-"

"Don't." Isabeau gives him a look, "He's your brother. And you are his. This fight about finding John or not finding him and follow his orders or don't follow his orders… I understand where you're coming from and where Sam is coming from."

Isabeau huffs, "Believe me. My Dad lied to me… to keep me safe. I want to yell at him for it, but I also appreciate it." She shakes her head, "But if you or Sam ask me to take a side, I can't do that. Not now, not ever."

Dean looks down at his phone, changes his mind and closes his cell phone, "Not yet."

Isabeau nods, "Fine."

"I'm sorry."

Isabeau stares at him and shakes her head, "You should be saying that to Sam. Not me." She steps out of the passenger seat and shuts the door.

Dean sighs, "Damn it." He shuts off the impala and gets out.

Isabeau and Dean walk up to Scotty's Café. A man is sitting in a chair on the porch, watching the two walk up to him.

Dean gestures to the sign, "Let me guess." He points to the man, "Scotty."

Scotty looks at the sign, "Yep."

Dean smiles, "Hi, my name's John Bonham. And this is Pat Phillips."

"Isn't that the drummer for Led Zeppelin and his wife?" Scotty asks.

Dean and Isabeau are taken aback. "Wow. Good. Classic rock fan." Dean chuckles as Isabeau rolls her eyes fondly.

"What can I do for you, John, Pat?"

Isabeau takes two pieces of paper out of her pocket. They are Missing Person flyers for Holly and Vince Parker, "We were wondering if, uh, you'd seen these people by chance."

Scotty looks at the flyers, "Nope. Who are they?"

Dean shoves his hands in his pockets, "Friends of ours. They went missing about a year ago. They passed through somewhere around here, and we've already asked around Scottsburg and Salem—"

"Sorry." Scotty hands the flyers back to Isabeau. "We don't get many strangers around here."

Dean nods, "Scotty, you've got a smile that lights up a room, anybody ever tell you that?" Scotty stares at him strangely. Even Isabeau slowly turns her head at Dean to do the same.

Dean chuckles, "Never mind. See you around." He grabs Isabeau's hand and walks away with her. Once they're out of ear shot, Isabeau wacks him on the back of the head, "That's the best you could come up with?"

"Didn't see you trying."

"I didn't want to embarrass myself."

* * *

Sam is standing on the side of the road. He turns around and sees a young girl with short blonde hair, sitting with her back to him. She is listening to music.

"Hey." Sam calls. She can't hear him. Sam walks over to her and puts his hand on her shoulder.

She jumps and takes off her headphones, "You scared the hell outta me."

Sam raises his hand in defense, "I'm sorry. I just thought you might need some help."

She nods, "No, I'm good, thanks."

"Uh, so where you headed?"

She shakes her head, "No offense, but no way I'm telling you."

"Why not?"

"You could be some kind of freak. I mean, you are hitchhiking." She says.

Sam chuckles, "Well, so are you."

She laughs. A van honks its horn and pulls over, "Need a ride?"

"Yeah." Sam and the girl say in unison.

"Just her. I ain't takin' you." The van driver tells Sam.

She gathers her things and gets in the van.

"You trust shady van guy and not me?" Sam asks her.

She smiles, "Definitely."

They drive away.

* * *

Isabeau and Dean headed to the Jorgeson General Store. "You sure they didn't stop for gas or something?" Dean asks. Harley shows the pictures to Stacy and she shakes her head.

"Nope, don't remember 'em. You said they were friends of yours?" Harley asks.

Dean nods, "That's right."

A girl comes downstairs carrying some boxes, "Did the guy have a tattoo?"

Isabeau nods, "Yes, he did." The girl puts the boxes on the counter and looks at the picture of Vince.

She looks at Stacy and Harley, "You remember? They were just married."

Harley looks at the picture again, suddenly remembering, "You're right. They did stop for gas. Weren't here more than ten minutes."

"You remember anything else?" Isabeau asks.

"Well, I told 'em how to get back to the Interstate. They left town." Harley tells them.

"Could you point us in that same direction?" Dean asks.

Harley nods, "Sure."

* * *

Isabeau and Dean are driving by the orchard when they hear a noise coming from the backseat. They share a look, "What the hell?"

Dean pulls over and reaches into his bag. He pulls out the EMF meter, which is beeping frantically. "Spooky scary orchard?" Isabeau jokes.

They get out of the impala and walk around the orchard. "Spooky is right." Dean says.

Isabeau shakes her head and when she turns around and she sees a scarecrow on its post. She nudges Dean and gestures towards the scarecrow. They walk over to it and look at it for a second.

"Dude, you're fugly." The scarecrow doesn't move.

Isabeau frowns, "I think you upset it." She notices a sickle in the scarecrow's hand and a design on its arm. Isabeau takes a ladder from a nearby tree and climbs to the top so that she is eye level with the scarecrow.

Isabeau moves its clothing and recognizes the design from Vince's tattoo. She pulls out Vince's flyer and compares the designs, which are exactly the same. She looks at the scarecrow again, "Nice tat."

_Mother._

Isabeau furrows her brow and looks down at Dean, "Did you say something?"

Dean shakes his head, "No, why?"

_Mother. Mother._

She looks back at the scarecrow, confused. Was it talking to her?

* * *

Dean and Isabeau pull up the impala and get out. The girl from before is standing by the gas pumps. "You're back." She says.

Dean smiles, "Never left."

"Still looking for your friends?"

Isabeau nods, noticing Emily's nameplate necklace, "You mind fillin' her up there, Emily?"

Emily grabs a pump and starts filling up the impalas tank. "So, you grew up here?" Dean asks.

"I came here when I was thirteen. I lost my parents. Car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in." Emily tells them.

"They're nice people." Isabeau says.

Emily shrugs, "Everybody's nice here."

"So, what, it's the, uh, perfect little town?" Dean asks.

"Well, you know, it's the boonies. But I love it. I mean, the towns around us, people are losing their homes, their farms. But here, it's almost like we're blessed." Emily says.

Dean nods, "Hey, you been out to the orchard? You seen that scarecrow?"

"Yeah, it creeps me out." Emily says.

Isabeau laughs, "Whose is it?"

Emily shakes her head, "I don't know. It's just always been there."

Dean nods towards a red van parked by the garage, "That your aunt and uncle's?"

"Customer. Had some car troubles."

"It's not a couple, is it? A guy and a girl?" Dean asks.

Emily nods, "Mmhmm."

Dean and Isabeau share a look of concern.

* * *

Sam is at a bus station and is talking to the clerk. "Sorry, the Sacramento bus doesn't run again till tomorrow." The clerk checks the schedule, "Uh, 5:05 PM."

"Tomorrow? There's got to be another way." Sam says.

"Well, there is. Buy a car." The clerk says deadpanned. Sam, annoyed, leaves the ticket window. He takes out his PalmPilot and selects Dean's phone number.

The girl that Sam met earlier on the road is sitting on the floor with her bags, "Hey."

Sam looks at her, confused, and turns off his PalmPilot without calling Dean, "Hey."

"You again."

"What happened to your ride?" Sam asks her.

"You were right. That guy was shady. He was all hands." She says. Sam raises his eyebrows. "I cut him loose." Sam looks around, disappointed. "What's the matter?" She asks him.

Sam sighs, "Just trying to get to California."

She looks at him surprised, "No way."

"Yeah."

"Me too." She stands up and walks toward Sam, "You know, the next bus isn't until tomorrow."

Sam laughs bitterly, "Yeah. Yeah, that's the problem."

"Why? What's in Cali that's so important?"

Sam shakes his head, "Just something I've been looking for. For a long time."

"Well, then I'm sure it can wait one more day, right?" She smiles. Sam laughs.

She extends her hand and Sam shakes it, "I'm Meg."

"Sam."

* * *

Isabeau and Dean walk into Scotty's Cafe. "Oh, hey, Scotty. Can I get a coffee, black?" Dean asks. Isabeau doesn't say anything when Scotty looks at her. She waves her hand with a polite smile.

Scotty walks away to get Dean's coffee. "Oh, and some of that pie, too, while you're at it." Isabeau gives Dean a look as they sit at a table next to a couple.

"How ya doin'?" Dean asks. The couple waves and smiles. "Just passing through?"

"Road trip." The girl says.

Dean nods his hand, reaching across to hold Isabeau's hand, "Hm. Yeah, us too." They nod as Scotty walks over to refill their cider.

"I'm sure these people want to eat in peace." Scotty says.

"Just a little friendly conversation." Dean says. Isabeau rolls her eyes and pulls her hand away. She reaches up and touches Scotty's arm lightly as he walks by. He stops to look at her. "Sorry about him, he's still learning manners."

Dean glares at her and she gives him a fake smile. She knew that they needed information, but didn't have to be a total tool to people to get it. Scotty looks down at her and his eyes land on a certain tattoo that was peeking out from her jacket. It was a tattoo of the 'Goddess Symbol'; a full moon with two crescent moons on either side.

He then notices that surrounding that one, there were many other small tattooed pagan symbols on her arm. All of them from different pagan practices.

Scotty smiles at her, his mood completely different from how he treated Dean. "It's alright. You deserve a medal for being with him." Scotty walks away, but not without throwing an agitated look at Dean.

Dean shakes his head and keeps talking to the couple, "So, what brings you to town?"

"We just stopped for gas. And, uh, the guy at the gas station saved our lives." The girl says.

"Is that right?" Dean smiles.

"Yeah, one of our brake lines was leaking. We had no idea. He was fixing it for us." The man says.

Isabeau plays with her rosary, "Nice people."

"Yeah."

"So, how long till you're up and runnin'?" Dean asks.

"Sundown."

Dean nods, "Really?" He thinks about it for a minute, "To fix a brake line?"

The man nods.

"I mean, you know, I know a thing or two about cars. I could probably have you up and running in about an hour. I wouldn't charge you anything." Dean offers.

The couple exchange a look, "You know, thanks a lot, but I think we'd rather have a mechanic do it." The girl says.

"Sure. I know." Dean pauses, "You know, it's just that these roads. They're not real safe at night."

The couple exchange another look, "I'm sorry?"

"I know it sounds strange, but, uh—you might be in danger." Dean says. Isabeau face palms. Moron.

The turns to him, annoyed, "Look, we're trying to eat. Okay?"

"Yeah." Isabeau gives Dean a look, begging him to shut up.

Dean looks disappointed and the couple seems worried by Dean. "You know, my brother could give you this puppy dog look, and you'd just buy right into it." He says.

The bell above the café door jingles and someone walks in. Scotty comes out from a back room.

"Thanks for coming, Sheriff." Dean looks nervous and frustrated. He turns to Isabeau who just gives him a look.

Scotty whispers something in the sheriff's ear, and they both look at Dean and Isabeau, who look away.

The sheriff walks over to them, "I'd like a word, please."

"Come on. We're having a bad day already." Dean says.

The sheriff leans over, "You know what would make it worse?" Dean nods slowly and Isabeau gives the sheriff a weak smile.

* * *

The sheriff's car is following Dean's impala to make sure Dean and Isabeau leave. When they are gone, the sheriff turns around and drives back to Burkittsville.


	26. Scarecrow Pt.2

At the bus station, Sam and Meg are sitting at a table with beers and different foods around them.

"So, what, are you on some kind of vacation or something?" Sam asks.

Meg laughs, "Yeah, right. It's all sipping Cristal poolside for me." They laugh. "No. I had to get away from my family."

Sam shakes his head, "Why?"

Meg shrugs, "I love my parents. And they wanted what's best for me. They just didn't care if I wanted it. I was supposed to be smart. But not smart enough to scare away a husband." Sam smiles.

"It's just…because my family said so, I was supposed to sit there and do what I was told. So I just went on my own way instead." Sam stares at her. "I'm sorry. The things you say to people you hardly know."

"No, no, it's okay. I know how you feel. Remember that brother I mentioned before, that I was road-tripping with?" Sam says.

Meg nods.

"It's, uh, it's kind of the same deal."

"And that's why you're not riding with him anymore?" Meg asks.

Sam shakes his head and Meg raises her beer bottle, "Here's to us. The food might be bad, and the beds might be hard. But at least we're living our own lives. And nobody else's." Sam taps his bottle against hers and they both drink.

Meg then hums, "I thought you were road-tripping with another person?"

Sam chuckles and smiles fondly at the thought of Isabeau, "Yeah. My best friend. She's been with us since the beginning."

Meg stares at Sam and smiles once it clicks, "You love her."

Sam looks at Meg surprised, "How did you?"

Meg chuckles, "Just by mentioning her, your entire face lights up like a beckon. Did she not want to come with you?"

Sam presses his lips into a thin line, "I didn't really give her much of a choice. I left without telling her. Which I regret."

Meg nods, "Out of curiosity. Do you have a picture of her?"

Sam blinks at the request, but nods and searches his bag. He pulls out a small stack of photos that he keeps on him that Isabeau developed during the week they stayed at her home.

He sets his bag down and tries to find a picture of just her, "Here." He hands Meg the picture. It was of Isabeau sitting down on one of the big chairs of her living room, reading a book, not aware of the picture being taken. Sam took that photo and the other photos in his hands as well. It was his own personal collection.

"Wow. She's gorgeous. She's got this haunting beauty to her, almost unreal." Meg says as she looks in awe at Isabeau's photo.

Sam nods, Isabeau's beauty wasn't normal, Meg was right when she said that Isabeau seemed unreal, "Been friends since we were babies. We grew up together and… I fell in love."

Meg smiles at Sam, taking a look at the rest of the photos, "Tell me more about her."

* * *

The couple's car has broken down and they are walking through the orchard. "I can't believe it. We just got the car fixed." The girl says.

"This way." The man says. They start walking towards a clearing. The scarecrow moves quickly behind them. The girl gasps and they turn around, "Steve?"

They hear more noises, "Who's there?"

They look around and the scarecrow comes out from behind the trees. It begins walking towards them, and they start running away. They are almost at the clearing when Dean and Isabeau run in front of them with their guns. The couple stop.

"Get back to your car." Dean orders. The couple looks behind them and sees the scarecrow getting closer. Isabeau's eyes widen, "Go! Go!"

The couple runs away. Dean cocks his gun and shoots the scarecrow, which stumbles but keeps walking. Dean and Isabeau begin running, and Isabeau cocks her gun, and shoots.

_Why do you hurt me, Mother? Should I not take these people?_

Isabeau shakes her head, confused.

Again, the scarecrow keeps going. Dean tries one more time, but the scarecrow keeps moving. Dean and Isabeau keep running. "Go! Go!" Dean screams out.

Finally, Dean, Isabeau and the couple reach the clearing. Dean cocks his gun and looks around, but the scarecrow has disappeared.

"What—what the hell was that?" The man, Steve pants out.

"Don't ask." Isabeau says.

* * *

It's the middle of the night at the bus station, Meg is sleeping on the floor and Sam is sitting by his bags, on the phone with Dean.

"The scarecrow climbed off its cross?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya. Burkittsville, Indiana. Fun Town." Dean says.

"It didn't kill the couple, did it?"

"No. I can't cope without you, you know." Dean says and grunts when Isabeau hits his arm.

"So, something must be animating it. A spirit."

Dean looks over at Isabeau, pulls the phone away from his ear and puts it on speaker. Isabeau speaks, "No, it's more than a spirit. It's a god. A Pagan god, anyway."

Sam smiles when he hears Isabeau's voice, "What makes you say that?"

Isabeau laughs, "Witch remember? Anyway, the annual cycle of its killings? And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right. And you should see the locals. The way they treated this couple. Fattenin' 'em up like a Christmas turkey."

Sam shakes his head, "The last meal. Given to sacrificial victims."

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god."

"So, a god possesses the scarecrow…"

"And the scarecrow takes its sacrifice. And for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread." Dean says.

"Isabeau, do you know which god you're dealing with?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, not yet."

"Well, you figure out what it is, you can figure out a way to kill it." Sam says.

"I know. We're actually on our way to a local community college. We've got an appointment with a professor. You know, since we don't have our trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research." Dean says.

Sam laughs, "You know, if you're hinting you need my help, just ask."

"I'm not hinting anything. Actually, uh—I want you to know….I mean, don't think…." Dean stutters. Isabeau smiles at Dean.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, too."

Isabeau smiles to herself. Even though Dean didn't say it, he was sorry.

"Sam. You were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life." Dean tells him.

"Are you serious?"

"You've always known what you want. And you go after it. You stand up to Dad. And you always have. Hell, I wish I—anyway….I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy." Dean glances at Isabeau who smiles sadly at him.

"I don't even know what to say."

"Say you'll take care of yourself." Dean says.

"I will."

Dean smiles sadly, "Call me when you find Dad."

"Beau?" Sam asks.

Isabeau chuckles, "Find John, Sam…" Isabeau's smile drops, "It's what you want." She says sadly. She wanted to tell him to come back to her and Dean. She didn't want him to leave. And if he was, she was going back home. She loves Dean, but she needs both of them.

"OK. Bye, Dean, Isabeau." Sam says sadly. They hang up.

Meg wakes up and moves next to Sam, "Who was that?"

"My brother… Isabeau."

"What'd they say?"

"Goodbye." They exchange a look.

* * *

Dean and Isabeau are with the college professor, walking down the steps of the college. "It's not every day I get a research question on Pagan ideology."

"Yeah, well, call it a hobby." Dean says.

"But you said you were interested in local lore?" The professor asks.

Dean hums, with a nod, "Mmhmm."

"I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship."

Isabeau nods, "Well, what if it was imported? You know, like the Pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?"

The professor nods, "Well, yeah."

"Like that town near here, Burkittsville. Where are their ancestors from?" Dean asks.

"Uh, northern Europe, I believe, Scandinavia." The professor answers.

"What could you tell us about those Pagan gods?"

The professor chuckles, "Well, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses." Isabeau nods, she knew that already. There was too many to learn.

"We're actually looking for one. Might live in an orchard." Isabeau says.

They ended up in the professor's office and he put a large book down on a table and opens it, "Woods god, hm? Well, let's see."

He leafs through some pages. On one page, Isabeua notices a picture of a scarecrow on a post surrounded by farmers in a field, "Wait, wait, wait. What's that one?"

"Oh, that's not a woods god, per se." The professor says.

Dean reads from the book, "The V-Vanir?" The professor nods and Dean continues reading, "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female."

He points to the picture, "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?"

The professor chuckles, "I suppose."

"This particular Vanir that's energy sprung from the sacred tree?" Isabeau reads.

"Well, Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic." The professor says and Isabeau nods.

"So what would happen if the sacred tree was torched? You think it'd kill the god?" Dean asks.

The professor laughs, "Son, these are just legends we're discussing."

Dean nods, "Oh, of course. Yeah, you're right." Dean looks down at the book and notices a symbol of a spiral at the corner of the pages, "What's that?"

"Ah, it was believed in most religions that the gods themselves worshiped a goddess more powerful than them. They never said her actual name or title, they just called her 'Mother.' That is her symbol." The professor explains.

Mother… Isabeau looked down at the symbol, "Listen, thank you very much." Shee shakes the professor's hand and so does Dean.

"Glad I could help."

Dean and Isabeau walk to the office door. When Dean opens it, the sheriff hits him and then Isabeau on the head with the end of his rifle. Dean and Isabeau fall to the ground, and the sheriff and the professor exchange a knowing look.

* * *

In the streets of Burkittsville. Stacy, Harley, Scotty, and the sheriff are standing in the rain, upset.

"You don't understand, Harley. All of us here—It's our responsibility to protect the town." Scotty tells him.

"I understand. Better than all of you. I'm the one that gives 'em directions. I'm the one that sends 'em down to the orchard." Harley says.

"Harley, please." The sheriff begs.

"We all close our doors. Look the other way. Pretend we can't hear the screams. But this is different, this—this is murder." Harley says.

"It's angry with us. Already the trees are beginning to die. Tonight's the seventh night of the cycle. Our last chance." Stacy says.

Harley sighs, "If the boy has to die, the boy has to die. But why does it have to be her? Why not that other woman that came with him?"

"Because Harley," Scotty starts, "That woman, it's her. She will be given to it, but not as a sacrifice, as a gift." They say nothing, but stare at the ground, disappointed.

* * *

Dean and Isabeau are by themselves in a cellar. Suddenly, the cellar door opens and Emily is there, being held by her aunt and uncle and is crying.

"Aunt Stacy. Uncle Harley, please." Harley brings her down the stairs, next to Dean and Isabeau and goes back upstairs. "Why are you doing this?" Emily asks.

"For the common good." Stacey says and she shuts the cellar door and Dean, Isabeau and Emily are left in the dark.

* * *

At the bus station, Meg is gathering her things and Sam is trying to call Isabeau on his cell phone.

"Hey. Our bus came in." Meg says.

Sam hangs up the phone, shaking his head, "You better catch it. I gotta go." He puts on his backpack.

"Go where?" Meg asks.

"Burkittsville." He begins to walk off.

"Sam, wait." Meg catches up to him.

"I've been trying to call my brother and Isabeau for the last three hours. I'm just getting their voicemails." Sam explains.

"Well, maybe their phone's turned off."

Sam shakes his head, "No, that's not like them. Meg, I think they might be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"I can't really explain right now. I'm sorry, look, I don't want you to miss your bus."

"But I don't understand. You're running back to your brother? The guy you ran away from? Why, because he won't pick up his phone? Sam—come with me to California." Meg says.

Sam shakes his head, "I can't. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"He's my family and…"

Meg sighs, "You love her."

Sam says nothing and leaves. Meg watches him go.

* * *

"I don't understand. They're gonna kill us?" Emily asks.

Dean is trying to open the cellar door, but he fails, "Sacrifice us. Which is, I don't know, classier, I guess?" He walks over to her as Isabeau paces. "You really didn't know anything about this, did you?"

"About what? The scarecrow god? I can't believe this." Emily asks.

Isabeau stops her pacing, "Well, you better start believing, cause we're gonna need your help."

Emily nods, "Okay."

Isabeau shoves her hands in her pockets, "Now, we can destroy the scarecrow, but we gotta find the tree."

"What tree?"

"Maybe you can help me with that. It would be really old. The locals would treat it with a lot of respect, you know, like it was sacred." Dean explains.

Emily thinks about it, "There was this one apple tree. The immigrants brought it over with them. They call it the First Tree."

"Is it in the orchard?"

Emily nods, "Yeah, but I don't know where."

Isabeau furrows her brow in confusion, "One thing that doesn't make sense to me is they have Dean and I for a sacrifice… why do they need you?"

Emily stares at her, "I don't know. I did hear them talking about you though."

Dean waits, "What'd they say?"

"They said that you would…" Emily pauses, looking at Isabeau, "That you would be a gift, not a sacrifice."

Dean blinks, "A gift?"

Isabeau and Dean share a look and the cellar door opens and the four elders are standing there, Scotty pointing a gun at them.

"It's time." Stacy says. Dean, Isabeau and Emily look at each other, nervous.

* * *

The elders are tying Dean and Emily to two adjacent trees. Isabeau is off to the side with her hands bound in front of her and another townsfolk, holds onto Isabeau's upper arm, keeping her in one place.

"How many people have you killed, Sheriff? How much blood is on your hands?" Dean asks.

"We don't kill them." The sheriff answers.

Isabeau scoffs, "No, but you sure cover up after. I mean, how many cars have you hidden, clothes have you buried?" The sheriff gives her a look and walks away, picking up a gun and points it at Dean.

"Uncle Harley, please." Emily begs.

"I am so sorry, Em. I wish it wasn't you." Harley says.

"Try to understand. It's our responsibility. And there's just no other choice. There's nobody else but you." Stacy says.

"I'm your family." Emily cries.

Stacy kneels down next to Emily, "Sweetheart, that's what sacrifice means. Giving up something you love for the greater good. The town needs to be safe. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one."

The four elders walk away, along with the other townsfolk, dragging Isabeau along.

"Hey! Where are you taking her?!" Dean shouts as they walk away.

"She is a gift for Vanir. She will be taken to the sacred tree, and it will find her." Scotty says.

"Beau!" Dean shouts one last time.

Isabeau clutches a part of her rosary in her hand as they bring her deeper into the orchard. They come to a tree that is different from all the rest. It looked healthier compared to the trees surrounding it.

They set Isabeau down on the ground and tie her hands above her to the tree, just like they did Dean and Emily.

Isabeau glares at them as they walk away when they're down, "I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!"

She sighs and closes her eyes, slumping against the tree, "Just great."

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Emily asks once the both of them are alone.

Dean huffs, "I'm workin' on it."

Hours passed and morning turned into night.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" Emily asks.

Dean is slightly panicked, "I'm workin' on it." If anything, his mind was focused more on Isabeau. Was she okay? Did she escape? He didn't want to think the worst. He just hoped that she was fine. That he would get out of this mess and find her. "Can you see?"

"What?"

Dean tries to look over, but can't see anything, "Is he moving yet?"

"I can't see."

A shadow is seen moving near the trees.

"Oh my God." Emily exclaims.

As it moves closer, Dean tries to untie his ropes. Sam comes out from behind the trees, "Dean?"

Dean is overjoyed, "Oh! Oh, I take everything back I said. I'm so happy to see you. Come on." Sam begins untying Dean from the tree. "How'd you get here?"

"I, uh—I stole a car." Sam says sheepishly.

Dean laughs, "Haha! That's my boy! And keep an eye on that scarecrow. He could come alive any minute."

"What scarecrow?"

Dean gets up and sees the scarecrow's post is empty. He and Sam exchange a nervous look. "Wait, where's Beau?" Sam asks, scared.

* * *

Isabeau pulls at the ropes, trying to free herself. "Come on." She whispers out in annoyance.

Isabeau freezes when she hears twigs snap behind the tree. She breathes heavily as she slowly turns her head and looks up.

Standing in front of her was the scarecrow with a sickle in its hand. It raises the sickle up and Isabeau closes her eyes and turns her head away, awaiting the pain.

She hears a snap and her now untied hands land in her lap. Isabeau looks up at the scarecrow, confused.

It extends its hand out for her to take. Hesitantly, she takes it and the scarecrow helps her to her feet. Isabeau takes a step back, unsure of its intentions.

The scarecrow tilts its head at her.

_Who do you wish, Mother? Who will be the sacrifice?_

Isabeau takes a breath, "Um, uh…" She shakes her head. Was she seriously talking to a scarecrow. Scratch that, a pagan god.

She thought to herself, if it wanted a sacrifice, then it was going to get one. "Stacey and Harley."

The scarecrow nods and points into the orchard.

_Friends are that way. I will protect them and you, Mother._

Isabeau nods and begins to run in the direction that the scarecrow pointed to. The scarecrow watches as she runs away and heads in the opposite direction, searching for the man and woman she said would be it's sacrifice.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Emily are running in the orchard.

"Alright, now, this sacred tree you're talking about—" Sam says.

"It's the source of its power." Dean says.

"So let's find it and burn it."

Dean nods, "We need to find it, Sam. They brought Isabeau to it."

"What? Why?"

Dean huffs, "They said that she was a gift. And that the scarecrow would find her."

Sam's eyes widen, "A gift? What the hell does that mean?"

Dean looks back at Sam, "I don't know."

Just as Dean turns his head forward, he crashes into someone, causing the both of them to fall to the ground, the other person on top of Dean. Sam and Emily skid to a stop just behind them.

"Dean!" Isabeau exclaims, their faces only a few inches apart.

A smile breaks out on his face, "Beau!" He pulls her into a quick hug and the two stand up. Dean immediately looks over her for any injuries, "You good?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, I'm fine." She looks behind Dean and smiles when she sees Sam.

"Sam!"

Sam returns the smile, "Beau!" He walks up to her and pulls her into a tight embrace.

Isabeau laughs, "I thought you were heading to California?"

"Alright, catch-up game later." Dean says.

Isabeau and Sam pull away and Isabeau nods, "Right. We can come back for the sacred tree in the morning."

Dean agrees, "Let's just shag ass before Leather Face catches up." The four of them reach a clearing. Waiting for them are the elders and a few other townspeople. "This way." They turn around, but they are blocked in all directions.

"Please. Let us go." Emily begs.

"It'll be over quickly, I promise." Harley says.

"Please."

"Emily, you have to let him take you. You have to-" All of a sudden, the scarecrow sticks his sickle through Harley's stomach. Emily and Stacy scream. Emily turns and hides her face into Isabeau's chest. Isabeau instinctively wraps her arms around Emily, not wanting the poor girl to see any more.

Then Stacy is captured by the scarecrow, too. Emily's aunt and uncle are dragged away by the scarecrow and the rest of the townspeople run away in fright.

"Come on, let's go." Dean orders and him, Sam, Isabeau and Emily start running. They hear a noise and turn around, but the scarecrow and its victims have disappeared. The three of them stay there and look around.

_Did I do good, Mother?_

Isabeau's eyes glow green, though Sam, Dean, nor Emily notices.

_**Yes, you did good.** _

* * *

The next morning, Isabeau, Sam, Dean, and Emily walk to the sacred tree with gasoline and a lighter. The tree has markings all over it.

Sam goes to the tree and pours the gasoline on it. Dean picks up a long branch and lights it.

"Let me." Emily says and she takes the branch from Dean.

"You know, the whole town's gonna die." Isabeau reminds her.

"Good." Emily throws the burning branch onto the tree, and the four of them watch it go up in flames.

* * *

The three are standing at a bus stop as Emily is getting on a bus to Boston. She turns and smiles at Dean and Isabeau, who wave to her. She waves back and takes a seat. Isabeau, Dean and Sam watch the bus leave.

"Think she's gonna be alright?" Sam asks.

"I hope so." Dean answers.

"And the rest of the townspeople, they'll just get away with it?"

Isabeau purses her lips, "Well, what'll happen to the town will have to be punishment enough."

They start walking to the impala. "So, can I drop you off somewhere?" Dean asks.

Isabeau frowns, she was hoping that Sam wasn't leaving.

Sam scoffs, "No, I think you're stuck with me." They stop at the car and Isabeau smiles.

So does Dean, "What made you change your mind?"

Sam shakes his head, "I didn't. I still wanna find Dad. And you're still a pain in the ass." Sam slings an arm around Isabeau's shoulder, "Missed this one."

Dean nods.

"But, Jess and Mom—they're both gone. Dad is God knows where. You, me and Isabeau. We're all that's left. So, if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together." Sam explains.

Dean pauses, "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful." He puts his hand on Sam's shoulder, who hits it away and all three of them laugh.

Isabeau pulls away shaking her head as Sam points at Dean, "You should be kissing my ass, you were dead meat, dude."

"Yeah, right. I had a plan, I'd have gotten out." Dean says.

"Right." Sam says.

Isabeau bounces in happiness and without thinking, she rushes to both brothers, giving them a kiss on each of their cheeks, "Thank god! I couldn't take it anymore. Get your asses in the car, my treat tonight!"

Isabeau slides into the backseat, happy that all three of them were together again. Sam and Dean smile and get in the car. What did they do to deserve her?

* * *

Driving along the highway, another shady guy is giving Meg a ride. "So, where to, pretty lady?"

"How about you pull over?" Meg suggests.

The van driver looks at her, "Okay. That works." He pulls over and Meg reaches into her bag and pulls out a silver bowl. "What's that?"

"I've got to make a call." She reaches into the bowl to get something.

"I've got a cell phone you could use." He offers.

"It's not that kind of call." She pulls out a knife and slits the van driver's throat. She holds the bowl under his neck and lets his blood pour into it. "Thanks for the ride."

She begins stirring the blood in the bowl with her finger, "Tire quiero patem me a di." The blood swirls around and seems to grow spikes. "It makes no sense. I could've stopped Sam. Hell, I could've taken all of them. Why let them go?"

Meg pauses, seemingly listening to someone, "Yes." She pauses again, "Yes." She pauses again, "Yes, Father."

Meg pauses one more time, but with a smirk. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a close up photo of Isabeau that she stole from Sam when he wasn't looking, "She's with them, Father. Our Isabeau."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna drop this here... have fun! Hope you all enjoyed! Feedback is always wonderful! (Believe me when I say your guys comments make me excited everyday to write this.) All the love!~


	27. Faith Pt.1

Isabeau, Sam and Dean park on the side of an abandoned house. They get out and open the trunk. Dean removes three tasers.

"What do you got those amped up to?" Sam asks, taking one.

"A hundred thousand volts."

"Damn." Isabeau says, taking one as well.

"Yeah, I want this rawhead extra frickin' crispy. And remember, you only get one shot with these things. So make it count." Dean tells them and closes the trunk.

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean move down the basement stairs with guns and flashlights. Hearing a noise, they move toward a cupboard.

"On three. One. Two. Three." Dean whispers. He swings open the door, a young boy and girl are crouched inside, covering their ears.

Sam leans down, and whispers, "Is it still here?" The children nod.

"Ok. Grab your sister's hand, come on, we gotta get you out of here. Let's go, let's go." Isabeau tells the little boy. They move towards the stairs. "Alright, go!"

Sam and Dean start to take the children upstairs, a hand grabs their legs, knocking them back down. The children scream and run to the top of the stairs.

"Sam! Dean!" Isabeau shouts. She shoots the taser but misses.

"Sam, Dean, get 'em outta here!" Isabeau orders the brothers.

"Here take this!" Sam throws his taser to Isabeau, who catches it.

Sam and Dean run up the stairs and move the children out of sight.

Isabeau moves around the basement on high alert, shining her flashlight into corners, "Come on!"

A ragged, hairy creature leaps up and shoves Isabeau backwards. Isabeau loses her weapons and flashlight as she falls.

She glances around, scrambles across puddles of water to grab the taser and releases it toward the creature as it moves toward her, electrocuting him. Electricity moves from the creature through the water lying on the ground to Isabeau. They both shake and twitch, the creature falls, and Isabeau loses consciousness.

Sam and Dean run down the stairs and see Isabeau in the corner, unmoving.

"Isabeau!"

"Beau!"

They run over and Sam half lifts her, holding her face, "Isabeau, hey. Hey." Sam and Dean look at each other, tears welling up in their eyes.

* * *

Sam and Dean stand at the desk with a receptionist. Their eyes are bloodshot from crying all the way to the hospital. "Sirs, I'm so sorry to ask. There doesn't seem to be any insurance on file." She tells them.

Sam shakes his head, "Right. Uh, ok."

Sam removes a card from his wallet and hands it to the receptionist. She glances at the card, "Okay, Mr. Burkovitz.

Sam and Dean sees two cops waiting and walks over. "Look, we can finish this up later." One of the cops offers.

Dean shakes his head, "No, no, it's okay. We were just taking a shortcut through the neighborhood. And, um, the windows were rolled down, we heard some screaming when we drove past the house, and we stopped. Ran in."

"And you found the kids in the basement?" The cop asks.

Sam nods, "Yeah."

"Well, thank God you did."

Sam and Dean see a doctor walking towards them. "Excuse us." Dean says, both him and Sam walk to the doctor.

"Sure. Thanks for your help." The cop says before walking away.

"Hey, Doc. Is she…" Sam trails off.

"She's resting." The doctor says.

"And?"

The doctor sighs, "The electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. Her heart...it's damaged."

Dean breath hitches, "How damaged?"

"We've done all we can. We can try and keep her comfortable at this point. But, I'd give her a couple weeks, at most, maybe a month." The doctor says.

The brothers don't stop the tears that fall down their face, "No, no. There's, there's...gotta be something you can do, some kind of treatment." Dean's voice breaks.

The doctor shakes his head, "We can't work miracles. I really am sorry."

Dean and Sam walk away, rubbing away the tears. They didn't want Isabeau to see them crying, not when she had so little time left.

* * *

Isabeau stares blankly at the small TV in front of her and sighs. Her face is pale and there are dark circles under her eyes. She looks over at her bag which is on the other side of the room, her rosary sitting right on top. She shakily lifts her hand up and narrows her eyes, focusing on the rosary.

The rosary slowly floats up, and with a twitch of her eye, it flies into her hand. Isabeau let's go of a breath that she didn't know she was holding, "Still got it." She clutches the rosary to her chest and looks back at the TV, flipping through the channels.

Sam and Dean enter, tears stains on their cheeks and sniffles occasionally. Isabeau keeps her eyes on the TV, "Have you ever actually watched daytime TV? It's terrible." Isabeau's voice was so weak that Dean had to look away for a second to stop himself from breaking down.

Sam shakes his head and sighs, "We talked to your doctor." He says softly.

"That fabric softener teddy bear. Oh, I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down." Isabeau says.

"Isabeau." Dean says.

Isabeau looks up and sighs at Sam and Dean's distraught states. She clicks off the TV and gestures to them to come closer to her, "Come here."

Dean and Sam walk over, both taking a seat next to her. She smiles sadly at them, tears threatening to spill and her lip quivers, "I want you to leave town without me."

Dean shakes his head, "What are you talking about? We're not gonna leave you here."

Isabeau clenches her jaw, "Take care of my family. Or, I swear, I'll haunt your ass." She adds in a bitter chuckle.

"I don't think that's funny." Sam says.

Isabeau scoffs, "Oh, come on, it's a little funny."

There is a long silence, Sam and Dean look down, fighting tears.

Isabeau sighs, "Look at me."

Sam and Dean look up, a few lone tears falling. Isabeau takes Dean's hand and places her rosary in it, "For the both of you…"

The brothers look down at the rosary in fear. They didn't want it. Having it would make this real; they didn't want this to be real. They didn't want her to die. They needed more time. A life-time.

"Hang it up in Baby. Have a piece of me, no matter where you go." Her voice cracks.

"Don't talk like that, alright? We still have options." Sam tries to bring hope back in Isabeau's eyes. Though, it was more for him and Dean than it was for her. They needed hope.

Isabeau frowns and shakes her head, "What options? Yeah, burial or cremation. And I know it's not easy. But I'm gonna die. And you can't stop it."

Sam nods his head, not wanting to give up, "Watch us."

* * *

Isabeau shakes as she struggles to lift her upper body up. When she does, her face falls into her hands and moves to push her hair back, "I'm going stir crazy."

It's been a couple of days since Sam and Dean left. She knew that they weren't leaving town until they found some way to save her. A part of her wanted them to find a way, another part told her that it was wrong. Her life wasn't any more important compared to others. Why should she deserve to live while others die?

"Last time I saw you in a hospital bed was, what junior year?"

Isabeau looks up at the doorway. Standing there was a girl her age with really short, curly black hair, chocolate brown eyes and had beautiful bronze colored skin with dark freckles.

Isabeau shakes her head at the girl, "Vengeful spirit. Right, Rebecca?"

Rebecca nods and smiles sadly, "I can feel it." Rebecca lifts the corner of her shirt, showing Isabeau a small blacked out butterfly tattoo on her hip that was glowing, but also flickered in Isabeau's presence. Isabeau and her other girls all shared the same tattoo.

Rebecca lets go of her shirt and goes to slide next to Isabeau, wrapping her arms around her, "All the girls are trying to find a way to help."

Isabeau shakes her head, leaning into Rebecca's embrace, "So are Sam and Dean."

Rebecca laughs, moving Isabeau's hair behind her ear and petting it, "Lover boys aren't gonna stop, just like us."

"None of you are gonna let me die in peace, are you?"

Rebecca puts her fingers under Isabeau's chin, and forces her to look up at her. Rebecca smiles softly and places a light kiss on Isabeau's lips, "Beautiful, you're not gonna die period."

Isabeau stares up at Rebecca, "Your mom is going to kill you when she finds out you let a dying woman live. Especially one that's been assigned to you for the past ten years."

Rebecca shrugs, "Eh, mom will get over it."

Isabeau chuckles, "Well since everyone is so hell bent. Help me get out of here."

"Don't want to stick around here?"

Isabeau scoffs, "No way. If we don't find a way, then I'm gonna die surrounded by the people I love."

* * *

Both Sam and Dean's beds are covered in pages of research about heart care. Dean is rifling through them with one hand and is clutching onto Isabeau's rosary with the other. He hasn't let go of it since they left the hospital.

Sam is sitting on his own bed with his phone pressed to his ear.

" _This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean. 866-907-3235. He can help."_

Sam fights back tears, "Hey, Dad. It's Sam. Uh...you probably won't even get this, but, uh...it's Isabeau. She's sick, and uh...the doctors say there's nothing they can do. Um...but, uh, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, cause Dean and I are uh...gonna do whatever it takes to get her better. Alright...just wanted you to know."

Sam pauses, "And tell Bartholmieu that we're sorry. We couldn't protect her."

Sam hangs up, tosses his phone on the bed and just sits there silently. Dean tosses aside some papers he was holding and plays with the rosary.

There is a knock on the door and they both look up quickly, tears in their eyes. Sam opens it to find Isabeau leaning against Rebecca, no longer wearing a hospital gown, but is now wearing her clothing again, looking terrible.

Sam and Dean are surprised, happy and confused all at once. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asks. He glances over at Rebecca who just gives him a weak smile.

Isabeau chuckles, "I checked myself out. Rebecca helped."

"What, are you crazy?" Dean walks over, helping Isabeau inside. Isabeau leans into him as he walks her over to one of the beds and sits down next to her on the bed's edge.

"Well, I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot." Isabeau jokes.

Rebecca shakes her head, setting down Isabeau's bag on the table, rifling through it, trying to find a specific object, "She's lying. She's just stubborn and doesn't like listening to the doctors there."

Rebecca pulls out a small glass vial that glows green when she shakes it. She turns to Sam, holding out her hand, "You must be Sam."

Sam nods, shaking her hand, "Yeah, um, who are you?"

"Rebecca, another one of, uh…" Rebecca glances at Isabeau, the two having a silent conversation. "Isabeau's _friends with benefits._ Or her girls. Take your pick."

Rebecca walks over and crouches in front of Isabeau, glancing at Dean, "And you must be Dean?"

Dean nods, squeezing Isabeau's hand, "Please tell me you're here to help."

Rebecca sighs, "I am. The girls back home are doing whatever they can to find a way to save Isabeau."

"How did you know?" Sam asks, walking over.

Rebecca and Isabeau share a look, "I was in the area. Isabeau called me from the hospital and I immediately called everyone else. Look, we haven't found anything yet. I'm just her to… give her more time until we find something."

"You can prolong it?" Dean asks.

Rebecca nods, "Kind of goes against mine and everyone else's rules, but…" Rebecca holds onto Isabeau's other hand, "We ain't letting our girl die yet."

Isabeau chuckles, "Just give me the fucking thing."

Rebecca hands Isabeau the small glass vial, opens it and down's it all in one go. A little bit of color made its way back into her skin and she felt a tiny bit better. But her body still felt weak.

Isabeau shakes her head, "This is only gonna give me an extra day. And I don't have a lot of these… It's not worth it."

Sam furrows his brow, "Can we make more?" He didn't know what it was, but if they could make more, it could give all of them more time.

Rebecca shakes her head sadly, "No, the flowers that we need for these only grow in the Philippines and they're almost extinct. Plus, it takes over a month to prepare the potion itself."

The four fall into silence until Isabeau speaks up, "Have you two even slept? You look worse than me."

"We've been scouring the Internet for the last three days. Calling every contact in Dad's journal." Sam says.

"For what?" Isabeau asks.

"For a way to help you. One of Dad's friends, Joshua, he called us back. Told us about a guy in Nebraska. A specialist." Dean explains.

Isabeau says nothing, looking around at everyone in the room. She sniffles, "I... " She bites her lip, "I'm not worth this."

Rebecca sighs in defeat, getting up from her spot and walks to another part of the room. Too many times has she heard Isabeau think so low of herself. Isabeau took being different harder than the others. She was damaged. Isabeau always thought she never deserved love, no matter how bad she wanted it.

Dean fumes, and grabs her face, turning it to look at him, "You're worth everything. Stop thinking that you're not."

Sam takes the spot in front of Isabeau,where Rebecca once was. Dean let go of Isabeau's face so she could look at Sam. Sam grasps her hand firmly, "We're not gonna let you die, period. We're going."

* * *

The next morning, the Impala bumps along a rutted gravel road toward a large white tent set up in a field. Rebecca leans over to Isabeau, both of them are in the backseat, and she whispers, "You know, we could've got Emily or Naysa to-"

"No." Isabeau interrupts, whispering back.

Rebecca says nothing, frowning at Isabeau, "You need to stop."

Isabeau stares at her, "What? Facing the reality that I'm going to die?" Isabeau takes a breath to stop a tear from falling, "I don't want to. I'm scared. I want to…" She trails off.

Rebecca holds her hand, squeezing it. 'I want to live my life with Sam and Dean.' is what Isabeau wanted to say. Would it be better if Isabeau tells them that she loves them, or not tell them at all?

She sighs, "But if it's meant to happen, I can't stop that."

Rebecca shakes her head, "You won't, but we will."

People make their way toward the tent across the very muddy ground, many on walking frames or helped by others. Dean stops the impala and the two brothers get out and runs around to help Isabeau.

Isabeau opens her door and looks around. A sign next to the tent reads The Church of Roy LeGrange. Faith Healer. Witness The Miracle. Rebecca notices the sign when she gets out, automatically glaring at it.

Sam and Dean help her out of the impala. "We got you." Dean places his arm around Isabeau's waist and Sam holds onto her hand, letting Dean mainly hold her up.

As Isabeau felt the raindrops fall on her skin, she could hear the sad voice of the rain ringing in her ears.

_We cry for you, Mother._

_Please, don't leave us._

_Don't die, Mother._

Isabeau briefly looks down at the raindrops in confusion. She shakes her head, pushing it out of her mind for now.

Despite conversation that the two shared, Isabeau chuckles at Rebecca's expression, "Oh she's going to be pissed at the two of you."

Rebecca walks over to them, "Man, you two are lying bastards. Thought you said we were going to see a doctor."

Dean and Sam are confused by her anger, "I believe I said a specialist." Sam says.

Isabeau snorts, slipping away from Dean's and Sam's hold, limping as she walks, "Becca has a little vendetta against these guys."

Sam sighs, "Look, Rebecca, this guy's supposed to be the real deal."

Rebecca shakes her head, "I can't believe you brought her here to see some guy who heals people out of a tent."

An elderly woman with an umbrella passes by, "Reverend LeGrange is a great man."

"Yeah, that's nice." Rebecca spits out.

They walk past an angry man remonstrating with a cop, "I have a right to protest. This man is a fraud. And he's milking all these people out of their hard-earned money."

Dean places a hand on Isabeau's back, gilding her closer to him.

"Sir, this is a place of worship. Let's go. Move it." The cop says, and him and the man walk away.

"I take it he's not part of the flock." Dean comments. He didn't really believe in any of this either. His opinion was just like Rebecca's, but he was holding onto a sliver of hope that it would save Isabeau.

"Well, when people see something they can't explain, there's controversy." Sam explains.

"I mean, come on, Sam, a faith healer?" Rebecca says.

"Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Rebecca."

Rebecca shakes her head, not answering. She had faith, just not in humans who claimed that they could heal all. She was a hybrid along with the other girls and Isabeau. And not even them could heal or save everyone. All they could do was try.

Isabeau shakes her head, "Rebecca, you can't say that. Hell, I don't believe in faith healers, but you can't be a skeptic about it. Just because we haven't seen any that are real, doesn't mean that they aren't. I mean, no one believed that we were real. Along with everything else that we see."

"Exactly. We see them, we know they're real." Rebecca says.

Isabeau scoffs in disbelief, sometimes, she didn't understand Rebecca, "But if we know evil's out there, how can you not believe good's out there, too? Just like us? People who help?" The four of them stop just outside the tent entrance.

Rebecca gives her a knowing look, "Because we've seen what evil does to good people."

"Maybe God works in mysterious ways." A young woman says, overhearing their conversation.

Rebecca looks at her slightly flustered, but then checks her out, head to toe, "Maybe he does." Rebecca says softly.

Isabeau rolls her eyes fondly at Rebecca. Rebecca reminded Isabeau of Dean in a lot of ways. Flirting with anything attractive that walked on two legs.

"I think you just turned me around on the subject." Rebecca flirts.

The young woman chuckles, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Rebecca holds out her hand, "I'm Rebecca. This is Isabeau, Dean and Sam."

The young woman takes Rebecca's hand, "Layla. So, if you're not a believer, then why are you here?"

Rebecca smiles sadly, glancing over at Isabeau, "My friend Isabeau is sick and well, apparently Sam and Dean here believe enough for all of us."

An older woman approaches and puts her arm around Layla, "Come on, Layla. It's about to start."

The two women smile at Rebecca, Isabeau, Sam and Dean and move inside the tent.

"Well, I bet you she can work in some mysterious ways." Rebecca says, looking after Layla.

Isabeau laughs, amused by her and the four enter the tent.

* * *

The tent is full of people finding seats, a small stage at the front has a lectern with candles on it.

Rebecca looks around, and tilts her head to the corner, "Yeah, peace, love, and trust all over."

The three follow her gaze to a security camera. Rebecca and Isabeau start to take a seat but Sam puts an arm around Isabeau and moves her toward the front.

"Come on." Sam says softly.

Rebecca looks at the two brothers, confused, "What are you doing? Let's sit here."

Dean shakes his head, "We're sitting up front." He might not like this, but if there was a chance, he was gonna take it.

"What? Why?"

Isabeau looks over her shoulder, "Becca, come on."

Rebecca huffs and follows them.

Sam points to four empty seats behind Layla and her mother, "Perfect."

"Yeah, perfect." Rebecca mutters sarcastically.

Sam moves in first, followed by Dean, "You take the aisle." He tells Isabeau. Rebecca sits next to Dean and Isabeau takes the aisle seat.

Even though she was angry about being there, Rebecca helped Isabeau get comfortable in her seat.

On stage a blind man wearing sunglasses, Roy Le Grange, is helped to the lectern by a woman, "Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" The crowd agrees with him. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act."

As he speaks Sam sees a table onstage, filled with religious items. He notices an old wooden cross that is topped by a smaller cross in a circle.

"But, I say to you, God is watching." Roy says.

"Yes he is." The crowd murmurs.

"God rewards the good, and He punishes the corrupt."

The crowd nods, cheering and murmuring.

"It is the Lord who does the healing here friends. The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts."

The crowd continues murmuring.

Rebecca leans over to Isabeau, "Yeah, and into their wallets." She says quietly.

"Becca." Isabeau whispers harshly.

"You think so, young woman?" Roy asks.

The crowd immediately falls silent.

"Sorry." Rebecca apologizes.

"No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears." Roy says.

The crowd laughs.

"What's your name, dear?"

Rebecca clears her throat, hesitating, "Rebecca."

"Rebecca… and your friend beside you? What's your name, dear?" Roy asks Isabeau.

Isabeau blinks in shock, "Isabeau."

"Isabeau." Roy nods to himself, "I want-I want you to come up here with me."

The crowd claps, and Layla and her mother doesn't move. Sue Ann moves to center stage, smiling at Isabeau.

Isabeau shakes her head nervously, "No, it's ok."

Dean leans over, whispering, "What are you doing?!"

"You've come here to be healed, haven't cha?" Roy asks.

Isabeau hesitates, "Well, yeah, but ahh…" The crowd claps and makes encouraging noises. "... maybe you should just pick someone else."

Sam and Dean look at Isabeau like she's insane. Rebecca bites her lip, she should've kept her mouth shut. The crowd claps loudly.

Roy shakes his head, "Oh, no. I didn't pick you, Isabeau, the Lord did."

The crowd gets more excited, "That's right! Yeah! Come on!"

"Get up there!" Sam says excitedly. Isabeau was getting her chance. But Sam and Dean were getting another chance as well.

Isabeau reluctantly rises and moves toward the stage. Sue Ann moves to assist and stands her next to Roy.

"You ready?" Roy asks.

"Look, no disrespect, but ahh, I'm not exactly a believer." Isabeau softly says.

Roy smiles, "You will be, dear. You will be."

"Pray with me, friends." Roy speaks to the crowd.

The crowd lifts their arms up and joins hands with each other. Sam and Dean watch on hopefully as Rebecca bites her lip. Roy lifts his hands to the air, then places one first on Isabeau's shoulder, then on the side of her head.

"Alright now. Alright now." Roy says to himself.

Isabeau's eyes glaze over. Her knees weaken and she sinks to her knees, Roy's hand still on her head.

"Alright, now." Roy smiles.

Isabeau wobbles, her eyes fall back in her head and she slips to the stage floor.

"Isa!"

"Beau!"

Rebecca jumps up from her chair, Sam and Dean following her to the stage.

The crowd is clapping excitedly.

Dean lifts her limp body into his lap. Isabeau's eyes burst open and she gasps.

"Say something!" Sam exclaims.

Isabeau blinks groggily and looks up. Roy is standing above her, hands out from his sides, palms up, looking happy. Beside and slightly behind Roy is a tall man in a black suit with white hair, very white skin and extremely wrinkled skin. Rebecca follows Isabeau's line of sight and freezes; she sees the man too. He stares at Isabeau and glances at Rebecca, then turns away and vanishes. Isabeau and Rebecca watch him, shocked.

* * *

After the service, the four headed to the hospital, all of them waiting in the check up room.

"So, you really feel okay?" Sam asks.

Isabeau doesn't look up at him, unhappy, "I feel fine, Sam."

The doctor enters, reading paperwork, "Well, according to all your tests there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was. Not that a woman your age should be having heart trouble, but, still it's strange it does happen."

Sam and Dean let out sighs of relief, smiling, beyond happy that Isabeau was fine. Rebecca stares at Isabeau, none of this was sitting well with her or Isabeau. Yes, Rebecca was happy that Isabeau was alive and healthy, but the way it happened; it wasn't right.

"What do you mean, strange?" Isabeau asks.

"Well, just yesterday, a young guy like you, twenty-three, athletic. Out of nowhere, heart attack." The doctor explains.

Isabeau nods, "Thanks, Doc."

"No problem." The doctor leaves.

Isabeau purses her lips, "That's odd."

"Maybe it's a coincidence. People's hearts give out all the time, Beau." Sam tries to convince her.

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, they don't."

Dean sighs, "Look, Isabeau, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?"

Isabeau gets up from her seat, "Because I can't shake this feeling, that's why."

"What feeling?" Rebecca asks.

Isabeau moves to put her jacket back on, "When I was healed, I just...I felt wrong. I felt cold. And for a second...I saw someone. This, uh, this old man."

Isabeau turns and shares a look with Rebecca, they both had a feeling what it was, but they needed to be sure.

"But if there was something there, Isabeau, I think I would've seen it, too. I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately." Sam says.

Rebecca raises a grow at him and then shakes her head, "Well, excuse me, psychic wonder. But you're just gonna need a little faith on this one." She uses his own words against him. Sam stares at her deadpanned.

Rebecca walks over to Isabeau, "We might have an idea of what it was."

Dean is confused, "You saw the man too? What kind of hybrid are you?"

Rebecca looks at Isabeau, silently asking her if she should tell. Isabeau shakes her head, "Not yet. Not until we're sure. Think you can look around? Ask a few others?" Isabeau asks Rebecca.

Rebecca nods, "You got it, Isa." Rebecca looks at Sam and Dean with a smirk, "See ya later, boys." She winks and then vanishes into thin air.

"What the?" Sam asks, bewildered by what he just saw.

Isabeau sighs, "Look, I'll explain Rebecca and… a few other things later. Right now I need you guys to work with me on this."

Sam and Dean nod. "Yeah, alright. So, what do you wanna do?" Dean asks.

"I want you to go check out the heart attack guy. I'm gonna visit the reverend." Isabeau says.

* * *

Roy and Isabeau are sitting on the couches in Roy's home. Sue Ann stands, filling a glass.

Isabeau smiles softly, "I feel great. Just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened." Roy nods, understanding.

Sue Ann sits down, "A miracle is what happened. Well, miracles come so often around Roy."

Isabeau nods at her and turns to Roy, "When did they start? The miracles."

"Woke up one morning, stone blind. Doctors figured out I had cancer. Told me I had maybe a month. So, uh, we prayed for a miracle. I was weak, but I told Sue Ann, 'You just keep right on praying.' I went into a coma. Doctors said I wouldn't wake up, but I did. And the cancer was gone." Roy explains.

Roy takes off his sunglasses, his eyes are white, "If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I'd ever had it."

"And suddenly you could heal people?"

Roy nods, "I discovered it afterward, yes. God's blessed me in many ways."

"And his flock just swelled overnight. And this is just the beginning." Sue Ann smiles proudly.

Isabeau looks down, "Can I ask you one last question?"

"Of course you can."

Isabeau licks her lips, looking back up, "Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?"

"Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart, and you just stood out from all the rest." Roy explains.

Isabeau tilts her head, "What did you see in my heart?"

"A young woman with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isn't finished." Roy says.

Isabeau looks slightly surprised and she reaches down to play with her rosary. Only problem was, Dean still had it. She rubbed her wrist, somehow feeling even more vulnerable than when she was dying.

* * *

"I'm telling you, he seemed healthy. Swam every day, didn't smoke. So, a heart attack just kind of seemed, well, bizarre." One of the employees says to Sam and Dean as their walking through the swimming pool locker room.

"And you said he was running, right before he collapsed?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, yeah, he was freaking out. He said that something was, uh, was after him." The employee says. The three of them walk out of the locker rooms and to the swimming pool.

"Did he say what?" Dean asks.

"Well, thin air is what. I mean, it wasn't anything."

Dean nods, "Alright, thanks."

As the two are leaving, Sam notices the clock on the wall isn't working, "Hey, buddy? Your, uh, your clock's busted."

"Oh, yeah, we, uh, can't get it workin'. Just froze at 4:17."

"Is that the same time Marshall died?"

The employee looks at him surprised, "How'd you know?"


	28. Faith Pt.2

Isabeau is leaving Roy's home, walking down the steps as she sees Layla and her mother are waiting to go in.

"Isabeau, hey." Layla greets her.

Isabeau smiles at her, surprised to see Layla, "Hey."

"How you feeling?"

"I feel good. Cured, I guess. What are you doing here?" Isabeau asks her.

Layla sighs, "You know, my mom, she wanted to talk to the reverend."

Sue Ann comes onto the porch, "Layla?"

Layla smiles, walking away from Isabeau and up the steps to Sue Ann, "Yes, I'm here again." Isabeau stays and watches on.

Sue Ann shakes her head, "Well, I'm sorry, but Roy is resting. He won't be seeing anyone else right now."

Mrs. Rourke, Layla's mother, looks up at Sue Ann, distraught, "Sue Ann, please. This is our sixth time, he's got to see us."

"Roy is well aware of Layla's situation. And he very much wants to help just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs. Rourke." Sue Ann says.

Sue Ann goes inside and Mrs. Rourke stares then turns, looking at Isabeau.

Isabeau stares back at her, confused.

"Why are you still even here? You got what you wanted." Mrs. Rourke asks her, frustrated.

"Mom. Stop." Layla begs.

Mrs. Rourke shakes her head, "No, Layla, this is too much. We've been to every single service. If Roy would stop choosing these strangers over you. Strangers who don't even believe. I just can't pray any harder."

"Layla, what's wrong?" Isabeau asks, concerned.

"I have this thing…" Layla hesitates.

Mrs. Rourke explains, "It's a brain tumor. It's inoperable. In six months, the doctors say..."

Layla puts a hand on her mother's shoulder, stopping her.

Isabeau sighs sadly, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Layla gives Isabeau a comforting smile.

Mrs. Rourke slowly, stares into her daughter's eyes, "No. It isn't." She turns to Isabeau, "Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?"

Mrs. Rourke walks away. Layla takes a deep, shaky breath and follows her down the stairs.

Isabeau watches them go then turns to look back at Roy and Sue Ann's house.

"I ask myself that everyday." Isabeau whispers to herself.

* * *

Isabeau enters their motel room, throws her keys on the bed and takes off her jacket, tossing it aside. Sam and Dean are sitting at the table, Sam is at the laptop and Dean is flipping through some papers.

She notices that Dean is now wearing her rosary the way she wears it; wrapped around his right wrist. She was gonna have to ask for that back sooner or later, but for now, she let him wear it, "What'd you find out?"

Neither Sam or Dean look at her, "I'm sorry." Sam says quietly.

Isabeau blinks, "Sorry about what?"

"Marshall Hall... died at 4:17." Sam tells her.

Isabeau looks at them, stunned, "The exact time I was healed."

Dean nods, "Yeah. So, we put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and we cross-checked them with the local obits. Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom LeGrange was healing at the time."

Dean hands her a few papers and she sits down on the chair in between them, "Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" She asks.

"Somehow. LeGrange...he's trading a life for another." Dean says.

Isabeau shakes her head, placing the papers down, "Wait, wait, wait. So, Marshall Hall died to save me?"

Sam looks at her, upset, "Isabeau, the guy probably would've died anyway. And someone else would've been healed."

Isabeau fumes, getting up from her seat, "You never should've brought me here."

Sam watches her, tears in his eyes, "Beau, we were just trying to save your life."

Isabeau turns to both of them, eyes glowing a fiery orange, "Some guy is dead now because of me."

Dean sighs, and bites his lip, "We didn't know."

Isabeau stares at them, her eyes stop glowing and runs her hands through her hair. This went against everything she stood for. She fought for saving the lives of others, not trading them so she could live.

But, she reminded herself that both of them didn't know and if they did, they wouldn't do it to respect her wishes.

"The thing I don't understand is how is Roy doing it? How's he trading a life for a life?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shakes her head, "Oh, he's not doing it." She says, walking back over to them, "Something else is doing it for him."

"What do you mean?" Dean asks.

"The old man that Rebecca and I saw on stage." Isabeau says.

She smiles bitterly, "I didn't wanna believe it, but deep down we knew." Isabeau says, referring to her and Rebecca.

"You knew what? What are you talking about?" Dean asks.

Isabeau places her hands on the table, leaning on them, "There's only one thing that can give and take life like that."

Sam and Dean look at Isabeau, confused.

At that moment, Rebecca appears in the room, looking distraught. The three turn to her surprised to see her.

Rebecca nods at Isabeau, confirming what they both thought.

Rebecca looks over at Sam and Dean, "We're dealing with a reaper."

* * *

Sam, Rebecca, Isabeau and Dean are sitting at the table, all of them looking through piles of research.

"You really think it's _the_ Grim Reaper? Like, angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?" Sam asks Isabeau.

Rebecca chuckles and so does Isabeau. "No no no, not _the_ reaper, _a_ reaper. There's reaper law in pretty much every culture on earth, they go by 100 different names, there's more than one of them." Isabeau explains.

"But you said you saw a dude in a suit." Dean asks, confused.

Rebecca raises a brow at him, "What, you think he shoulda been working the whole black robe thing?...You said it yourself that the clock stopped right? We Reapers stop time. And you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why we could see it and you two couldn't."

Sam blinks, "We Reapers?" He repeats what Rebecca says.

Rebecca leans back in her chair, glancing at Isabeau, "Now can we tell them?"

Isabeau laughs, "Rebecca is half witch, half reaper. She partially does the job of a normal reaper. You know, gilding souls to the afterlife. She does it here and there and… it's also why Rebecca was at the hospital."

Isabeau sighs when Sam and Dean look at her upset, "Rebecca is my assigned reaper."

Rebecca shrugs, "I'm hers and all the other girls. Have been since we became friends."

"But, if people can only see reapers when they're coming for them to lead them to the afterlife… then how can we see you?" Sam asks.

"Well, that's because of my witch side. Unlike other reapers, everyone can see me. Regular reapers choose if humans can see them or not." Rebecca explains and then tilts her head, "Plus, reaping is not my day job; it's hunting."

Dean nods, "Gotcha… The question is, how is Roy controlling the damn thing?"

Rebecca shrugs as they look at her, "No clue. Reapers are just given assignments. We can't choose who dies and who lives, we just guild souls."

The four fall into silence.

"That cross." Sam says.

Isabeau looks at him, "What?"

"There was this cross, I noticed it in the church and I knew I had seen it before." Sam takes out Isabeau's tarot cards and shuffles through them.

He snorts and holds up a card to the others, "Here."

Dean leans in to take the card, "A Tarot?"

Sam shrugs, "It makes sense. A tarot dates back to the early christian era right, when some priests were still using magic? And a few of them veered into the dark stuff? Necromancy and how to push death away, how to cause it?"

Dean furrows his brow, "So Roy's using black magic to bind the reaper?"

"If he is he's riding the whirlwind. It's like putting a dog leash on a great white." Sam says, putting the card back and handing it to Isabeau.

Isabeau rises to put her cards back in her bag, then walks back to lean against the wall facing the others, "Ok, then we stop Roy."

"How?" Sam asks. Isabeau bites her lip, not knowing what to say.

"You know how." Dean comments from his seat.

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about Dean, we can't kill Roy." Sam says.

"Sam, the guys playing God, he's deciding who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book." Dean says.

Isabeau sighs, "No. We're not going to kill a human being, Dean. We do that, we're no better than _he_ is."

"Ok, we can't kill Roy, we can't kill death. Any bright ideas?" Dean asks everyone in the room.

Rebecca sighs, "Ok. uh...If Roy's using some kind of black spell on the reaper, we gotta...figure out what it is. And how to break it."

* * *

The impala bounces down the badly graveled and potholed road again, passing a sign that says Service Today. They park and exit the impala.

"If Roy's using a spell, there might be a spell book." Sam says.

"See if you two can find it." Isabeau says.

Rebecca looks down at her watch, "Hurry up too, the service starts in fifteen minutes. We'll try to stall Roy."

The man from before, holds out a leaflet to Dean, "Roy LeGrange is a fraud. He's no healer."

Dean takes the leaflet, "Amen Brother."

Sam takes one as well, "You keep up the good work."

"Thank you." The man says.

Sam and Dean head in the opposite direction of the tent while Isabeau and Rebecca head toward the tent.

* * *

Roy comes down the stairs, assisted by Sue Ann on one arm, a dark haired man the other. Sam and Dean watch them leave from the corner of the porch.

Sam and Dean climb in a window and start searching the house. They walk into what seemed like Roy's office. Dean looks around the desk and Sam looks on the bookshelves.

Sam pulls out the only book that doesn't have dust on the shelf in front of it; Encyclopedia of Christian History. He flips through it, finding nothing, then realizes there is another, smaller book, hidden on the bookshelf behind the larger one. Inside is a picture of a skeleton reaper, and on another page the wooden cross he saw earlier in the tent.

He flips through and also finds newspaper articles about the people who died. The one that died for Isabeau was an openly gay teacher, the woman jogging an abortion rights advocate. He finds a third clipping about Wright, the man handing out leaflets in front of the tent.

* * *

Inside the church tent, Isabeau and Rebecca are walking slowly up the side aisle. Isabeau pulls out her phone as it rings and picks up, "What have you got?"

"Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral. And I think I know who's next on his list. Remember that protester?" Dean asks.

Isabeau's brow furrows, "What, the guy in the parking lot?"

"Yeah. Yeah, We'll find him. But you can't let Roy heal anyone, alright?" Dean says.

Isabeau huffs and hangs up. Her and Rebecca move further toward the front of the tent.

* * *

Dean nods at Sam and shoves his phone back in his pocket. Him and Sam start searching the car park.

* * *

Roy smiles out into the crowd, "Layla. Layla Rourke. Come up here child."

The crowd bursts into pleased applause. Layla, stunned, looks around then rises to hug Mrs. Rourke, "Mum."

"I love you." Her mother says with a smile.

Isabeau sighs, "Oh man."

As Layla passes her, Rebecca grasps her arm, "Layla, listen to me. You can't go up there."

Layla looks at her confused, "Why not? We've waited for months!"

"You can't let Roy heal you." Rebecca whispers

Layla shakes her head, "I don't understand, Roy healed Isabeau didn't he? Why can't you let him try?"

Isabeau moves closer, whispering, "Cause if you do something bad is going to happen. I can't explain. I just need you to believe us."

The three girls stare at each other and Sue Ann stands waiting, holding out her hand, "Layla."

"Please." Isabeau begs.

Layla stares at the hand Sue An is offering, then turns back and stares at her mother, who is standing ringing her hands. Her mother nods at her. Layla looks at Isabeau and Rebecca, and shakes her head, "I'm sorry."

"Layla. Layla!" Isabeau calls as Layla walks away.

Sue Ann smiles and puts her arm around Layla to take her to the stage, "Dear child!"

The crowd continues to clap happily.

"You deserve this." Sue Ann says softly as they reach the stage.

Rot takes Layla's hand, "I knew the Lord was planning. I knew it was just a matter of time."

Isabeau and Rebecca, frustrated, move back to stand near Mrs. Rourke who is crying and covering her face with her hands.

"Pray with me friends." Roy addresses the crowd.

"I hope you're ready." He says to Layla.

She smiles softly, "I am."

Roy is about to lay his hands on Layla, who looks enraptured.

Isabeau and Rebecca move to the back of the tent, they share a look and nod at each other. "FIRE! Hurry, tent's on fire!" They call out to the crowd.

Layla opens her eyes and looks toward the crowd. Everyone starts to rise and evacuate.

Mrs. Rourke moves towards the stage, "NO! No, please. Please don't stop. Reverend, please, please! Please don't stop, please!"

Isabeau and Rebecca watch helplessly.

"Friends, if you'd all just leave the tent in an orderly fashion...and we'll, uh, and we'll figure out what's going on out there and we'll come back." Roy addresses the crowd.

Isabeau pulls out her phone, "We did it. We stopped Roy."

* * *

Sam is holding his phone to his ear as he, Dean and the man, David, look around. "David, I think it's ok." Sam tells him.

David looks around at Sam and Dean, nodding, then turns back. The reaper is in front of him.

"No!" David exclaims, falling to the ground.

"Isabeau it didn't, reaper's still coming!" Sam exclaims.

* * *

"What?" Isabeau asks.

"I'm telling you, I'm telling you it didn't work. Roy must not be the one controlling this thing." Sam says.

"Then who the hell is?"

Isabeau and Rebecca look around and spies Sue An beside the stage, facing into the corner and reciting, "Sue Ann." Isabeau says to Sam before hanging up.

Her and Rebecca run to her and spins her around. She gasps and stops reciting, reaching down to hold a cross on a chain around her neck. It is the same as the wooden cross Sam saw earlier.

Sue Ann stares at Isabeau and Rebecca, while tucking the cross inside her blouse, "Help! Help me!"

The girls back away, nodding and staring at Sue Ann like they shouldn't have expected anything better. Two cops grab the both of them roughly and pull them away.

Two cops manhandle Isabeau and Rebecca through the entry. They shake them off as soon as they are outside and Sue Ann follows close behind.

Sue Ann shakes her head, "I just don't understand. After everything we've done for you. After Roy healed you. I'm just very, very disappointed Isabeau."

The girls stare at her, saying nothing.

"You can let them go. I'm not gonna press charges. The Lord will deal with them as he sees fit." Sue Ann leaves.

The cops turn to Isabeau and Rebecca, "We catch you two round here again, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?

Isabeau presses her lips together, "Yes sir, fear of god. Got it."

The cops give them one last push and they turn to find Layla waiting for them, "Layla?"

"Why would you do that? And it could have been my only chance." Layla asks them.

Rebecca shakes her head, "He's not a healer."

"He healed you." Layla tells Isabeau.

Isabeau bites her lip, "I know it doesn't seem fair, and I wish I could explain. But Roy is not the answer, I'm sorry."

Layla shakes her head sadly, "Good Bye Isabeau… Rebecca."

She walks away and Rebecca and Isabeau then turn to watch her.

Layla turns back, "I wish you luck. I really do."

"Same to you." Isabeau's voice cracks.

Layla turns to walk away again.

"You deserve it a lot more than me." Isabeau says under her breath.

Layla walks away past where her mother is talking to Roy and Sue Ann.

"Private session tonight, no interruptions. I give you my word, I'll heal your daughter." Roy says to Mrs. Rourke.

Isabeau and Rebecca walk past behind them to where Sam and Dean are waiting. All four of them overhear.

"Thank you reverend. God bless you." Mrs. Rourke says.

* * *

"So Roy really believes." Sam asks, sitting on one of the motel beds. Dean is sitting on the other.

Isabeau walks past him, "I don't think he has any idea what his wife's doing."

"Well, we found this." Sam hands the little book to Isabeau, Rebecca looks over her shoulder, "Hidden in their library. It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a reaper."

"Must be a hell of a spell." Isabeau says.

"Yeah. You gotta build a black alter with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood. To cross a ine like that, a preachers wife. Black magic. Murder. Evil." Dean says.

Isabeau flips through the book, "Desperate. Her husband was dying, she didn't have anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy."

"Cheating death," Sam chuckles, "...literally."

Rebecca shakes her head, "Yeah but Roy's alive, so why is she still using the spell?"

Dean nods, "Right. To force the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral."

Isabeau sighs, "May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work."

"We gotta break that binding spell, Isabeau." Dean says.

Isabeau looks at the picture of the cross in the book and shows it to Rebecca, "You know Sue Ann had a coptic cross like this. When she dropped it the reaper backed off."

"So you think we gotta find the cross or destroy the altar?" Dean asks.

Isabeau shrugs, "Maybe both. Whatever we do we better do it soon, or he's healing Layla tonight."

* * *

The impala rolls in next to the tent and stops. "That's Layla's car. She's already here." Sam says.

Isabeau nods sadly, "Yeah."

Sam looks back at Isabeau in the back seat, "Isabeau…"

Isabeau doesn't look at him, "You know if Roy woulda picked Layla instead of me she'd be healed right now."

Dean turns to look at her, "Isabeau, don't."

"And if she's not healed tonight, she's gunna die in a coupla months."

"What's happening to her is horrible. But what are you gunna do? Let somebody else die to save her? Dean said it himself, you can't play God." Sam says.

Isabeau sits without speaking, then gets out of the car. The others follow. They approach the tent and peek inside. Roy is speaking to a small group of the faithful, including Layla and her mother.

"Gather round, please everyone, gather round. Come in closer, come on up." Roy commands.

"Where's Sue Ann?" Rebecca asks.

"House." Sam says.

All of them move to the house. "Go find Sue Ann, we'll catch up." Isabeau orders Sam and Dean. She lightly shoves them towards the house, away from her and Rebecca.

"What are you gunna...?" Dean asks as she shoves them away.

Isabeau and Rebecca peak over, spying the two cops from earlier coming down the stairs. They glance at each other and smile, "College days?" Isabeau asks.

Rebecca nods, "College days."

Sam and Dean share a look, 'college days?'

"Hey!" Isabeau shouts.

The cops look over.

"You gunna put that fear of God in me?"

The cops drop their coffee and run at Isabeau and Rebecca, who take off.

Sam and Dean watch as the two girls run away with the cops behind them. "Now I'm curious." Dean comments.

Sam chuckles, shaking his head, "First parties and now this." As soon as they're gone Sam and Dean run up the stairs and check around the house. It is in darkness.

Dean turns back, confused, then spots light emerging from the cracks of the outside basement entrance.

* * *

Isabeau and Rebecca silently creep up beside a camper van. The cops are on the other side with flashlights.

"You see him?" One cop asks.

The other shakes his head, "Nah."

* * *

Sam and Dean move toward the basement entrance, opens the doors and slips inside.

* * *

Rebecca slowly rises next to the passenger window of the camper van, looking behind her, a large dog jumps at the window, barking wildy and she and Isabeau leap back.

On the other side of the van the cops shine their lights underneath, then in at the dog who is still barking.

"Psycho mutt."

The cops move on, as Isabeau and Rebecca stick their heads over the roof of the van. They look around tensely, then sag against the roof.

Isabeau looks over at Rebecca, "Bringing you back?"

Rebecca looks over at her with a smile, "College days were great. This has got to be the what, seventh time getting away from cops?"

Isabeau scoffs, "I think it's more like eight."

* * *

Sam and Dean move quietly through the basement to a candlelit altar littered with parts of dead animals, blood, horns, and even more.

There is a photo in the middle of Isabeau, taken from the security camera the first time they were in the tent, before she was healed. Her face has been crossed out with what looks like blood.

Dean picks up the photo, and looks down at it furious.

"I gave your friend life and I can take it away." Sue Ann says from behind them, startling them.

Furious, both brothers tip over the table the altar is on, then runs at Sua Ann, but she is already up the stairs. She closes the hatches and secures it with a beam. Sam and Dean stretch to push against them and keep trying.

"Sam, Dean, can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. And your friend is wicked and she deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It is God's will." Sue Ann says.

The brothers turn to survey the room. Dean pulls a block of wood off of the wall.

"Goodbye Sam, Dean."

Dean takes the block of wood and smashes out a small boarded up window.

* * *

Isabeau and Rebecca are heading toward the tent when some lights go out. They stop, looking behind them, and watch the line of lights lighting the path go out one by one.

Isabeau turns back to see the reaper walking toward her.

Rebecca stands in front of Isabeau, blocking the reapers path, "Back off."

With a wave of the reapers hand, Rebecca is flung to the side, onto one of the parked cars.

"Becca!" Isabeau exclaims.

The reaper places his hand on the side of Isabeau's head, causing her to grunt out in pain.

Inside the church Layla is sinking to her knees, and outside Isabeau is doing the same. She screams out in pain as her eyes glaze over.

* * *

Sue Ann is reciting, holding up the cross. Sam appears with Dean behind him and grabs the cross and throws it aside, breaking a glass bottle of blood.

* * *

The reaper stops what he is doing and looks up and Isabeau falls to the ground gasping.

* * *

Sue Ann falls to her knees beside the blood, "My God, what have you done!"

"He's not your God." Dean says.

Sue An looks up and see's the reaper. He smiles at her.

Terrified, she rises and turns to run, but the reaper is there. He places his hand on her head, her eyes glaze over and she falls to her knees.

After a moment, still smiling, he allows her to slip to the ground where she convulses once, twice, and dies. The reaper watches, looking satisfied.

Leaving her lying there, Sam and Dean turn and go to look for Isabeau and Rebecca.

* * *

Isabeau and Rebecca make it back to the impala just as the brothers approach.

"You ok?" Dean asks as Isabeau leans against the impala.

She shakes her head, "Hell of a week."

"Yeah...All right, come on. We should get going." Sam says and all four of them enter the car.

* * *

Isabeau sits on the bed, leaning against the headboard, staring at nothing. Rebecca is sitting at the table, staring at her, concerned and Dean is sitting across from Isabeau, concerned as well.

Sam watches her, putting his clothes away in his bag, "What is it?"

Isabeau glances up at him, "Nothing."

Sam waits a few seconds, "What is it?" He asks gently.

Isabeau rubs at her wrist, "We did the right thing here didn't we?"

"Of course we did." Dean reassures her, taking her hand in his own.

Isabeau looks down at her rosary that hasn't left Dean's wrist the entire time, "It doesn't feel like it."

A knock at the door makes everyone turn to look at it. Isabeau let's go of Dean's hand and heads towards the door, "I got it."

She opens the door and smiles softly. It is Layla, "Hey Layla. Come on in."

Layla returns the smile, walking in, "Hey."

Rebecca quickly rises, "How did you know we were here?"

Layla glances at Isabeau, the two made up over the phone prior, "Isabeau...called. She said you...wanted to say goodbye?"

Rebecca glances at Isabeau, who is at the door, looking sheepish.

"Uh, we're," She waves over Sam and Dean, "gunna...grab a soda."

Sam and Dean walk out the door first, both hiding their smiles and Isabeau leaves with them, closing the door behind her.

* * *

The three walk outside, into the motel parking lot. Isabeau takes a seat on the trunk of the impala, Dean sits next to her and Sam stands across from the two of them. True to Isabeau's word, they did get drinks and they talked.

Isabeau sighs, "You know, even though I accepted that I was gonna die… A part of me was begging for you guys to find a way. And you did."

Sam smiles sadly at Isabeau, "Not the way you liked though."

Isabeau shrugs, "You're right, I didn't like it. But, what's done is done. Can't change it now."

The three sit in silence.

Dean places his drink on the impala and unwraps Isabeau's rosary from his wrist. He looks down at it before holding it out to Isabeau, "I think this belongs to you."

Isabeau smiles, taking it and wrapping it around her right wrist. She didn't feel so vulnerable anymore, "Thanks, it looked like you enjoyed having it."

Dean shrugs, leaning back on his hands, "Eh, I was just holding it for you until you wanted it back." Sam and Isabeau shake their heads. They both knew that Dean wasn't to let go of it until he was sure Isabeau was fully back with them.

"So… you feel fine? Everything back to normal?" Sam asks.

Isabeau thinks about it for a moment, "Think so. Haven't tested out my fire since Roy 'healed' me." She pauses and then smirks, "Maybe it's time for a test drive?"

She hops off the impala with a smile and walks a little ways away from him. The two smile at her, "What are you gonna do?" Sam asks.

Isabeau's eyes glow a fiery orange, "Something I haven't done in a while." And with that, Isabeau's body shifts into a floating ball of fire.

Dean blinks in surprise, "Woah."

The floating ball of fire, that is Isabeau, starts to fly around Dean and Sam with a trail of flames following behind. Dean and Sam smile in awe as she flies around them.

The ball of fire stops in front of them and in a small burst of flames, Isabeau returns to her original form and smiles.

"That was awesome." Dean comments with a laugh.

"You turned into a literal ball of flames. That's incredible." Sam says.

Isabeau shrugs, "Years of practice. Being an elemental means I can be the actual element. It's fun."

"Playing around again?"

The three turn to see Rebecca walking towards them with a smile. Isabeau smiles and the two embrace in a hug, "How'd it go?" Isabeau ignores Rebecca's question and instead asks her own.

Rebecca pulls away and shrugs, "As good as it could've gone."

Isabeau nods, understanding, "You gonna head back?"

"Um, I think I'm gonna stick around." Rebecca says.

Isabeau raises a brow at her, "Really."

Rebecca nods, "Yeah, I, uh…" She chuckles, "I put in a request to be assigned to Layla."

Isabeau blinks in surprise, "Oh…"

"Yeah, I think she deserves to see a familiar face when the time comes."

"I think that's a good idea. But make sure to go home, the girls will be on your ass just like mine." The girls laugh, pulling each other into one more hug.

"Be good." Rebecca says while walking away.

"No promises!"

Rebecca vanishes into thin air once again, leaving the three by themselves. Isabeau shakes her head, and hops back onto the trunk.

"So, college days?" Dean starts.

Isabeau groans, "Oh no. College days are stories for another day."

"What? Why?" Sam asks with a smile.

"I just… college days were full of fun, but also filled with many tough times. I just want to live in the now. With you two. The past can wait." Isabeau explains.

Isabeau leans over, kissing Dean lightly on the cheek. She then gets up and does the same to Sam. Both brothers stare at her; is now the right time?

Dean glances over at Sam, having a silent conversation. Not, yet. Even though they almost lost her, Sam wasn't ready yet, almost, but not yet. Dean respected that.

What three of them didn't know is that someone from Isabeau's past could soon possibly throw a wrench into Sam and Dean's entire plan to tell her how they feel.

It was a hurdle that was going to be difficult to get over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me forever! This episode got me so upset that I had to have stand up comedy playing in the background while writing to get me going. Next one I feel is going to be even more difficult. But I'm trying! Hope you guys enjoyed!


	29. Route 666 Pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sexual scene at the end of chapter/not really? (still a warning)

The impala is parked out front of a gas station, Sam and Dean are looking at a map laid out on top of the car, as Isabeau has her phone to her ear, playing with the keys to the impala with the other.

Dean is letting her drive the impala for the week, meaning she got to choose their next destination.

"Ok. I think I found a way we can bypass that construction just east of here. We might even make Pennsylvania faster than we thought." Sam says.

Isabeau lowers her phone and looks thoughtful, "Yeah. Problem is, we're not going to Pennsylvania."

Dean chuckles, "We what?"

"I just got a call from an, uh, old friend. Her father was killed last night, think it might be our kind of thing." Isabeau explains to them.

"What?" Sam asks.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. Believe me, she never woulda called, never, if she didn't need us." Isabeau gets into the driver's seat.

She closes the door and looks at Dean and Sam through the window, "Come on, are you two coming or not?"

Sam and Dean look at each in disbelief, Dean gets in the passenger seat and Sam gets in the back.

* * *

The impala cruises down the road, fields on one side, a lake on the other. "By old friend you mean...?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shrugs, "A friend that's not new?"

Dean chuckles, "Oh yeah, thanks. So her name's Cassie huh? You never mentioned her.."

Isabeau purses her lips, "Didn't I?"

"No."

Isabeau shrugs again, "Yeah, we, uh, sort of went out?"

Sam furrows his brow, "Sort of went out?"

Isabeau glances at both brothers and sighs, "Dad and I were working a job in Ohio, she was finishing up college. We hooked up for a couple of weeks."

"Is she another friend with benefits?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shakes her head and chuckles, "No, Cassie is nothing like that. She was sort of the first person I hooked up with in years after I broke up with my previous boyfriend."

Dean stares at her, "The one that cheated on you."

Isabeau nods, "Yep."

"Look, it's terrible about her dad, but it kinda sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which by the way, how does she know what we do?" Dean asks.

Isabeau looks shifty and licks her lips.

Sam looks at her in disbelief, "You told her. You told her, the secret! The big family rule number one. We do what we do and we shut up about it. For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a coupla times and you tell her everything?"

"Sam!" Dean glares at his brother. Sam glares back.

Isabeau stays silent, staring straight ahead, clenching her jaw, "Yeah. Looks like." She tightens her grip on the steering wheel. Instead of feeling the heat of her fire burning inside her with her building anger, she felt a buzzing sensation; almost electric.

She continues staring ahead and puts her foot down on the gas. Sam shakes his head, disappointed. He was jealous. What was so special about Cassie? Weren't him and Dean enough for her?

* * *

"It's a newspaper we put out, not a bulletin for the Mayor's office." Jimmy says, walking along another man and woman in the newspaper office.

"Get off your soapbox Jimmy, I'm urging a little discretion is all." Anderson, the Mayor, says.

"No, I think you're telling us what you want us to print and what you want us to sit on." A young woman says to the Mayor.

The Mayor looks at her, "I know you're upset Cassie, I liked your dad a lot. But I think your grief is clouding your judgment."

"Two black people were killed on the same stretch of road in the same way in three weeks." Jimmy says.

Isabeau, Dean and Sam enter the office.

"Jimmy, you're too close to this. Those guys were friends of yours. Again, Cassie, I'm very sorry for your loss." The Mayor says, leaving.

Jimmy walks away as well. Cassie sighs and turns around, looking straight at Isabeau.

Looking slightly apprehensive, Isabeau nods at her and grins.

Cassie continues to stare, "Isabeau."

"Hey Cassie." Isabeau says softly.

They stare at each other for a long moment, not speaking. Sam and Dean watch, frowning to themselves. It seemed to them that Cassie was more than just a hook up… and that scared them.

Isabeau blinks, clearing her throat, "These are my friends, Sam and Dean… The one's I told you about."

Cassie smiles at Sam and Dean, who returns one of their own, though it was slightly forced. Her gaze returns to Isabeau.

"I'm sorry about your dad." Isabeau says.

Cassie nods lightly, "Yeah. Me too."

Isabeau and Cassie keep staring at each other. Isabeau could feel that buzzing sensation again; not just in her stomach, but in her fingers as well. Being near Cassie again after so long, in a way, it made her feel sick and it also brought back a certain type of happiness that Isabeau needed at the time when the two met.

* * *

Cassie comes into the lounge room of her house, carrying in a tray of tea and cups, "My mothers in pretty bad shape. I've been staying with her. I wish she wouldn't go off by herself. She's been so nervous and frightened. She was worried about dad."

"Why?" Isabeau asks from the couch, in between Sam and Dean. The minute that she sat on the couch, Dean's hand placed it self on her knee and Sam's own hand wrapped around her hand.

"He was scared. He was seeing things." Cassie says, pouring tea.

"Like what?" Dean asks, squeezing Isabeau's knee.

"He swore he saw an awful-looking black truck following him." Cassie says.

"A truck? Who was the driver?" Sam asks.

Cassie shakes her head, "He didn't talk about a driver. Just the truck. He said it would appear and disappear. And, in the accident, Dad's car was dented, like it had been slammed into by something big."

Cassie first hands Isabeau a cup of tea with a smile. Isabeau returns it, removing her hands from Sam, taking the cup and taking a sip. She sighs in content, Cassie still remembered that green tea was her favorite; no sugar or honey needed.

She then hands cups to Sam and Dean as well, taking a seat across from all three of them.

Sam accepts his cup, "Thanks. Now you're sure this dent wasn't there before?"

Dean looks at his cup of tea like it's an alien, and quickly deposits it on a side table.

"He sold cars. Always drove a new one. There wasn't a scratch on that thing. It had rained hard that night. There was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks leading from dad's car...leading right to the edge, where he went over." Cassie bows her head, getting her emotions under control, "One set of tracks. His."

"And the first was a friend of your fathers?" Isabeau asks.

"Best friend. Clayton owned the car dealership together. Same thing. Dent. No Tracks. And the cops said exactly what they said about dad. He 'lost control of his car.'" Cassie explains.

"Can you think of any reason why your father and his partner might be targets?" Dean asks, placing his hand back on Isabeau's knee.

Cassie takes notice, "No."

"And you think this vanishing truck ran them off the road?" Sam asks, placing the cup aside and reaching back to place his hand on the small of Isabeau's back.

Again, Cassie notices, "When you say it aloud like that...listen, I'm a little sceptical about this...ghost stuff...or whatever it is you guys are into."

Isabeau scoffs, "Skeptical. If I remember, I think you said I was nuts." Isabeau takes another sip of her tea, eyes never leaving Cassie.

"That was then." Cassie says.

They stare at each other again and both brother's shift at the tension.

Cassie sighs, "I just know that I can't explain what happened up there. So I called you."

Sound of a door opening, a middle aged woman enters.

Isabeau places her tea aside as her, Sam and Dean rise to their feet, and Cassie goes to take her mom's arm, "Mom. Where have you been? I was so…"

"I had no idea you'd invited friends over." Cassie's mother, Mrs. Robinson says.

"Mom, this is Isabeau, a...friend of mine from... college. And her friends Sam and Dean.

"Well I won't interrupt you." Mr.s Robinson says, walking away.

"Mrs Robinson?" Isabeau says, stopping the mother in her tracks, "We're sorry for your loss. We'd like to talk to you for a minute if you don't mind?"

"I'm really not up for that right now." Mrs. Robinson says, slightly affronted. She leaves the room, and those remaining look at each other.

* * *

The next morning, Isabeau, Sam and Dean headed to the same field where an accident happened the night before.

The Mayor and Cassie walk among the emergency vehicles. "Jimmy meant something to this town. He was one of our best. We won't be the same without him." The Mayor says to Cassie.

"Our best seem to be dropping like flies. Clayton, my father, Jimmy." Cassie tells him.

"What is it exactly you want me to do?" The Mayor asks her.

Cassie stops, turning to him, "Well, how bout closing this section of road for starters?"

The Mayor shakes his head, "Close the main road, the only road in and out of town? Accidents do happen Cassie, and that's what they are. Accidents."

Isabeau, Dean and Sam approach and stand behind Cassie.

"Did the cops check for additional denting on Jimmy's car, see if it was pushed?" Isabeau asks. Cassie turns around at the sound of her voice.

"Who's this?" The Mayor asks Cassie.

"Isabeau Fitzgerald, and Dean and Sam Winchester. Family friends. This is Mayor Harold Todd." Cassie introduces all of them.

"There's one set of tire tracks. One. . doesn't point to foul play." The Mayor says as Isabeau glances at the wreckage. If she could just get her hands on it, maybe she could see something.

Sam glances over at Isabeau and reaches out to grab her hand. The three of them hadn't really talked when they slept at their motel last night. He squeezes it, wanting her to know that he was there for her, even if he didn't like Cassie and her being close.

The second Sam grabs her hand, a small shock makes the two flinch lightly. They looked down in their interlocked hands in confusion. What the hell was that?

"Mayor, the police and town officials take their cues from you. If you're indifferent about…" Cassie says.

"Indifferent!" The Mayor interrupts.

"Would you close the road if the victims were white?" Cassie asks.

"You suggesting I'm racist Cassie? I'm the last person you should talk to like that." The Mayor says.

"And why is that?"

"Why don't you ask your mother." The Mayor walks away, leaving them standing in the field.

* * *

The three were back in their hotel room. Isabeau stares at herself in the mirror as she fixes the collar of her slate gray button up. She was also wearing her suit jacket, black dress pants, and heeled ankle boots.

Dean was fixing his tie beside her, both brothers were dressed up as well.

"I'll say this for her, she's fearless." Sam says, walking up to her and Dean, putting on his own suit jacket.

Isabeau says nothing, staring at her reflection, "Mm-hmm."

She sighs, noticing Dean is having a hard time with his tie, "Give me that."

Dean looks down at her as Isabeau undoes his attempt at the tie and starts redoing it herself, "You would think all those times playing FBI, you would have gotten this down pat."

Once she's done, Dean reaches up and grabs her hand softly, they feel the same shock that her and Sam felt previously.

Isabeau stares at their hands in confusion as Dean speaks, "What's interesting is you guys never really look at each other at the same time. You look at her when she's not looking, she checks you out when you look away." His voice slightly cracks at the end. He's hoping Isabeau doesn't notice, but she does.

Isabeau knows that she loves Dean and Sam. It was just being around Cassie reminded her what it felt like to be in a relationship with someone… and she missed it.

Dean shrugs, "It's just a...just an interesting observation in a...you know...observationally interesting way."

"You think we might have more pressing issues here?" Isabeau asks, still not looking at Dean.

Sam sighs, "Hey, if we're hitting a nerve."

Isabeau shakes her head, "Let's go." She walks out of the motel, leaving Sam and Dean.

Both brothers look at each other in defeat. They didn't want to lose Isabeau.

* * *

Isabeau, Dean and Sam are walking down a pier. A few people are fishing. They approach two older men having lunch.

"Excuse me. Are you Ron Stubbins?" Isabeau asks.

Ron looks at her and nods.

"You were friends with Jimmy Anderson?" Dean asks.

"Who are you?" Ron asks.

"We're Mr Anderson's insurance company. We're just here to dot 'I's' and cross 'T's'." Dean explains.

"We were just wondering, had the deceased mentioned any unusual recent experiences?" Sam asks.

"What do you mean, unusual?" Ron asks.

"Well visions, hallucinations."

"It's part of a medical examination kind of thing. All very standard." Isabeau says.

"What company did you say you were with?" Ron asks.

"All National Mutual." She briefly shows them paperwork from the inside of her jacket pocket, "Tell me, did he ever mention seeing a truck? A big black truck?"

"What the hell you talking about? You even speaking English?"

"Dear, this truck, a big scary monster-looking thing?" Ron's friend asks.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah actually, I think so."

The friend nods, thinking, "Hmm."

"What?"

"I have heard of a truck like that."

The three glance at each other. "You have. Where?" Sam asks.

"Not where. When. Back in the '60s there was a string of deaths. Black men. Story goes, they disappeared in a big, nasty, black truck." The friend explains.

Dean nods, "They ever catch the guy who did it?"

"Never found him. Hell, not sure they even really looked. See there was a time, this town wasn't too friendly to all it's citzens."

"Thank you." Sam says and he, Isabeau and Dean make their way back down the pier to the Impala.

"Truck." Isabeau simply states.

"Keeps coming up doesn't it?" Sam asks.

"You know, I was thinking. You heard of the flying dutchman?" Dean asks.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, a ghost ship, infused with the Captain's evil spirit. It was basically part of him."

Dean nods, "So what if we're dealing with the same thing? You know, a phantom truck, an extension of some bastard's ghost, re-enacting past crimes."

"The victims have all been black men." Sam says.

Isabeau sighs, "I think it's more than that. They all seem connected to Cassie and her family."

Sam sighs, almost regretting the next words that come out of his mouth, "All right. Well, you work that angle, go talk to her."

Isabeau nods, "Yeah I will."

Dean smiles bitterly, "Oh, and you might also wanna mention that other thing."

Isabeau turns to Sam and Dean confused, "What other thing?"

Dean clenches his teeth, "The serious, unfinished business?"

Isabeau rolls her eyes and remains obstinately silent. She had a feeling that this would happen.

Sam himself huffs a bitter laugh, "Isabeau, what is going on between you two?"

Isabeau looks away from a moment, "All right, so maybe we were a little bit more involved than I said."

They stare at her waiting, "Oh, Ok. Yeah."

Isabeau reaches down and plays with her rosary, she could feel that buzzing in her fingers again, "OK, a lot more. Maybe. And I told her our secret, _my_ secret, about what we do. And I shouldn't have."

Isabeau never told any other human about her life, the only ones that knew were Sam, Dean and their father. That's it.

Sam took a moment to think about it, they couldn't be the only one's that Isabeau could open up to. He had to remember that as well, but that person being Cassie, made him jealous, "Ah look, everybody's gotta open up to someone sometime."

Isabeau scoffs, "Yeah I don't. It was stupid to get that close. I mean, look how it ended."

Sam and Dean stare at her, disappointment etched across their faces.

"Would you stop!" Isabeau hated seeing them like this.

They keep staring, realizing just how close her and Cassie were.

"Blink or something!"

"You loved her." Sam says sadly. Dean looks down briefly, he didn't like hearing those words.

Isabeau looks away. Not exactly.

"You were in love with her, but you dumped her." Dean says.

"NO!" Isabeau says loudly.

Sam and Dean flinch at her voice, staring at her in surprise.

Isabeau fumes at them, "At first there were feelings, and I did love her, but in the end I realized she was a distraction."

Dean furrows his brow, "Distraction? For who?"

Isabeau looks back and forth between the brothers, "Who do you think?"

Sam and Dean blink in surprise. She didn't mean? "Beau… We…"

"And I think I need a distraction right now… from the both of you." Isabeau begins to walk away from the both of them and the impala.

"Beau! You can't just walk away!" Dean calls out to her.

"Watch me!" She looks back at them briefly, her eyes glowing a fiery orange. And when she looks away, she turns into a ball of fire, flying away from the two brothers.

* * *

Cassie sits at the desk in the lounge of her house. There is a knock at the door and Cassie gets up to answer it.

She opens the door, "Isabeau."

Isabeau smiles lightly at her, "Hey." She's now dressed in her casual clothes. She stopped at the motel to change and left before Sam and Dean got back. She wasn't ready to face them yet.

"Hey. Come on in." Cassie steps aside to let her in.

Isabeau turns to look at her, "So...you busy, or…"

"The paper's doing a tribute to Jimmy. I was just going through his stuff...his awards. Trying to find the words." Cassie tells her, walking over to the desk.

Isabeau leans against one of the supporting beams in the house, looking at her, "That's gotta be tough."

Cassie turns to look at her, "For years this family owned the paper. The Dorians? They had a whites only policy. After they sold it Jimmy became the first black reporter. He didn't stop til he became editor. He taught me everything…"

Cassie walks back over to Isabeau, leaning on the beam across from her, "Where's your friends?"

Isabeau shrugs, giving her a forced smile, "Not here."

Cassie nods, "All right. So, uh, what brings you here?"

"Trying to find the connection between the three victims. By the way, did you talk to your mum about what Todd said about not being a racist?" Isabeau asks.

"I did. She didn't want to talk about it."

"Right." Isabeau lets out a small chuckle.

A short silence.

"So just then, why did you ask where my friends were?" Isabeau asks.

Cassie shakes her head, "Nothing. Not important."

"Could it be because, without them here it's just you and me? Not you, me, Dean and Sam which would be easier?" Isabeau says.

"It's not easier...Look, I…"

Isabeau turns away, "No. Forget it. It's fine. We'll keep it strictly business." She walks away.

Cassie stares after her, exhaling sharply, "I forgot you do that."

"Do what?" Isabeau asks, turning to look at her.

"Oh. Whenever we get, what's the word...close? Anywhere in the neighbourhood of emotional vulnerability, you back off. Or make some joke. Or find any way to shut the door on me."

Isabeau lets out a laugh, "Oh that's hilarious." She walks back to stand in front of Cassie, "See, I'm not the one who took that big final door and slammed it behind me."

"Wait a minute…"

"And I'm not the one who took the key and buried it." Isabeau jabs.

"Are we done with this metaphor?" Cassie asks.

"All I'm saying is I was totally up front with you back then, and you nailed me for it." Isabeau says. In the end, she told Cassie that she was a distraction, but she never said who for.

"The girl I'm with, the girl I'm hoping might be in my future, tells me she professionally pops ghosts and is a supernatural hybrid."

"That's not the words I used!"

"And that she has to leave, because in the end our love was a distraction for her. That she was in love with someone else. That she couldn't be with me because she had to go work with her family." Cassie jabs back.

"I did!"

"All I could think was, If you want out fine, but don't tell me this insane story."

Isabeau raises her voice and gets in her face, her eyes suddenly glowing a light violet, "It was the truth Cassie, and I notice it didn't sound so insane the minute you thought I could help you."

Cassie isn't fazed by her glowing eyes, even though she was angry at Isabeau, she thought her eyes were beautiful, "Well back then I thought you just wanted to dump me." Cassie steps away.

"Whoa! Now let's not forget who dumped who ok?" Isabeau says, stepping in front of her, eyes still glowing their new color. Isabeau could feel the buzzing in her fingers again.

"I thought it was what you wanted." Cassie exclaims.

Isabeau huffs, conflicted, "Well yes, but…"

"But what?!"

"But I didn't mean to hurt you!" Isabeau says.

Cassie scoffs, "Well you did!"

"I'm sorry!"

Cassie nods, "Yeah me too."

They stare at each other, Isabeau's eyes seem to be somehow glowing brighter. Cassie steps forward and pulls Isabeau in for a kiss.

Isabeau falls into it. Her heart is screaming at her to stop, she has Sam and Dean, who she pretty much just confessed to being in love with and here she was kissing her ex. It felt wrong, but at the same time. She needs it.

She needs a distraction from Sam and Dean.

She needs Cassie.

The two pull away and stare at each other. Cassie looks down at Isabeau's hand on her arm in surprise, but with also a newfound lust. Isabeau looks down at her hand as well, eyes widening when she sees tendrils of electricity crackling along and in between her fingers. The electricity wasn't hurting Cassie, and it wasn't hurting Isabeau either.

"Isabeau…" Cassie whispers, looking at her in fascination.

Isabeau breathes out, "Later." Cassie pulls Isabeau back in for a lustful kiss. Isabeau pants against Cassie's open mouth as Cassie moves her hands along Isabeau's shoulders, pulling off her jacket.

They hold themselves against each other, fingers running through each other's hair, nipping at each other's lips as they make their way to Cassie's bedroom.

Cassie pushes Isabeau onto her bed, staring down at her as she takes her clothes off, "I forgot how much I missed you under me."

Isabeau takes off her own clothes from the bed, her eyes never stopped glowing, "Maybe we should change that?"

Isabeau's naked body, crawls backwards, laying her head down on the pillows as Cassie's own naked body crawls on top of her.

Cassie shakes her head, kissing down in between Isabeau's breasts, "No way. Let me have this. Even if it's only for one night."

Their lips met again, each of them moaning into the kiss. Cassie pulls Isabeau up, their legs tangled together and pressed up against each other. They move against each other, drowning in pleasure.

Tendrils of electricity crackles along Isabeau's fingers as they run down Cassie's body. Cassie pulls away for a brief moment, her eyes softening at the sudden tears running down Isabeau's flushed cheeks.

"Isabeau?"

"Please, be my distraction?" Isabeau begs, moaning out as their movement speeds up.

Cassie nods, "I'll be your distraction."


	30. Route 666 Pt.2

Isabeau lies on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Cassie shifts close to her, looking up at Isabeau's face, "You good?" Cassie trails her fingers over the patterns of Isabeau's tattoos on her shoulder.

Isabeau continues staring at the roof, "I'll let you know when I get there… It always ended up this way, everytime we fought."

"You know, actually we were always pretty good at fighting." Cassie indicates their position, "This we were good at. It's all the other stuff...not so much."

Isabeau scoffs, "Hey I tried. I told you who I really was. That was a big first for me."

"Why'd you tell me?"

Isabeau sighs, the electricity on her fingers died down, "I don't know. I guess I couldn't lie to you. I lied to my first boyfriend and look where that got me. But at the same time, I didn't realize that I was lying to myself."

"Isabeau. You told me that story...it scared the hell outta me. I thought you were nuts. Dangerous even. Actually, maybe I was looking for a reason to walk away." Cassie leans up on one elbow to look down at Isabeau.

"What I am, I am dangerous." Isabeau lifts up her hand, small tendrils of electricity flies through them, though her eyes didn't glow when she did it. "In my work...uh...I see some horrible things. Things that can't be explained. I deal with them. But telling you the truth?"

Cassie chuckles, "I'm a scary one all right...well, usually things get worked out. When you really want them to."

Isabeau bites her lip, "I can't do this. I regret lying to you, Cassie. I do. I should've told you from the start that deep down, my heart belongs to two others."

Cassie brushes a strand of hair behind Isabeau's ear, "Sam and Dean?"

Isabeau lets out a shaky breath, "Yeah… I think I ruined it. Everything is just confusing, you know? I could tell that they were devastated when I left them. I love them, so much."

She laughs bitterly, "And I go and sleep with my ex who I lied to… I'm a terrible person."

"Hey." Cassie turns Isabeau's head to look at her, "People make mistakes, Isabeau. And they were pushing, they're scared and rightfully so."

"And you know this how?"

Cassie smiles sadly, "I did fall in love with a woman that I now know that I can never have. Talk with them, explain things to them. Hell, I'll explain things to them. I was your distraction last night, and you don't need one anymore."

Isabeau nods, "You're right." She then laughs, "Think they'll forgive me?"

Cassie chuckles, "You're talking about two guys that are okay with you being friends with benefits with fifteen other girls. Not to mention they technically have no claim over you since you aren't actually with them. So… other than being your friends at the moment, I think they're going to realize that they have no say over a woman that's not theirs yet."

Isabeau raises a brow at Cassie.

"So, yes… I think when you talk to them, they'll understand and forgive you. Hell, I knew that I was just a distraction for you and I still forgave you." Cassie says.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Do I want to know why?"

"Because you're special."

Isabeau bites her lip. That's not the answer she wanted.

Isabeau's phone rings and she reaches for it. It's Sam.

Taking a breath, she answers it, "Yeah."

Isabeau listens and sits up, looking startled, "You're kidding."

* * *

Isabeau looks around, snow falling all around her and onto the field. Isabeau approaches Sam and Dean, who are talking to a cop.

Sam looks over, licking his lips when he sees Isabeau and puts away some sort of ID, "She's with us."

The cop leaves and Sam and Dean turn to Isabeau with a half smile. All they wanted to do was step away from all of this and talk with Isabeau.

"Where were you last night? You didn't make it back to the motel." Sam asks. Though, him and Dean had a feeling where she went.

Isabeau sighs as they walk, "Well… Talked things out with Cassie. She was a distraction and that was all." She pauses turning to them, seeing that their faces fell when she said Cassie was a distraction last night.

"And we all need to have a talk later. I mean it. We need to clear the air between us and talk about… other things." Isabeau tells them.

Dean sighs, "Look, Beau-"

"So what happened?" Isabeau continues to walk into the sea of cop cars. Sam and Dean give each other a look and follow her. Talk later, work now.

"Every bone crushed. Internal organs turned to pudding. The cops are all stumped, it's like something ran him over." Sam tells her.

"Something like a truck?" Isabeau asks as they stop next to a cop car.

"Yep."

"Tracks?"

"Nope." Dean says.

Isabeau sighs, "What was the Mayor doing here anyway?"

"He owned the property. Bought it a few weeks ago." Dean tells her.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "But he's white, he doesn't fit the pattern."

"Killings didn't happen up on the road. That doesn't fit either."

* * *

Inside the newspaper office, Cassie makes three mugs of tea and takes them over to where Isabeau sits at a computer, and Dean sits beside her. Isabeau asked Dean to come with her to the newspaper office. He agreed.

"Here." Cassie hands two of them to Isabeau and Dean, sitting on the opposite side of Isabeau.

"Thanks." Isabeau says, taking hers.

Dean thanks her with a small smile, taking his own, "So we're trying to find some link between those killings back in the '60s and what's going on now. There wasn't a lot about it in the paper."

Cassie shakes her head, "Not surprising. Probably minimal policework too. Back then equal justice under the law wasn't too literal around here."

Isabeau's phone rings, she sets down her tea and picks up, "Yeah?"

"Ok, the courthouse records show that Mr and Mrs Mayor bought an abandoned property. The previous owner was the Dorian family for, like, 150 years." Sam says through the phone. Isabeau gestures for Dean to lean in and listen.

Dean nods as he listens to Sam, but can't help but focus his gaze on Isabeau. Isabeau told them that Cassie was just a distraction so… was everything back to normal between the three of them? Do they just forget that Isabeau practically confessed to them. What were they now?

"Dorian?" Dean asks.

"Yeah."

Isabeau glances at Cassie, "Didn't you say the Dorian family used to own this paper?"

Cassie nods, "Along with everything else around here. Real pillars of the town."

"Right, right." Isabeau clicks a few links on the computer, "That's interesting."

"What?"

"This Cyrus Dorian. He vanished in April of '63. The case was investigated but never solved. It was right around the time the string of murders was going on back then." Dean explains.

"Well I pulled a bunch of papers up on the Dorian place, it musta been in bad shape when the Mayor bought it." Sam says.

"Why's that?"

"The first thing he did was bulldoze the place."

Isabeau turns to Cassie, "Mayor Todd knocked down the Dorian place?"

"It was a big deal. One of the oldest houses left. He made the front page." Cassie says.

"You got a date?" Isabeau asks Sam.

"Uh... The 3rd of last month."

Isabeau types into the computer, then reads from the screen, "Mayor Todd bulldozed the Dorian family home on the 3rd. The first killing was the very next day."

* * *

Cassie wanders around her house with a glass of water in her hands.

As she puts it down on the desk the lights flicker and she hears a revving engine outside. Headlights shine through the slats of the blinds and she hurriedly closes them.

The truck starts making passes at the house and Cassie. Terrified, she runs from room to room closing the blinds. She races for her phone and dials a number.

"Isabeau. ISABEAU!"

* * *

Sam hands Cassie a cup of tea and sits down next to his brother. Isabeau sits beside Cassie protectively. Isabeau and Cassie might not be a thing, but Isabeau was still going to be there for her and protect her.

Mrs. Robinson was sitting with them as well, drinking her own cup of tea.

Cassie hands shake, rattling the cup, "Maybe you could throw a couple of shots in that."

"You didn't see who was driving the truck?" Isabeau asks.

Cassie shakes her head, "It seemed to be no one. Everything was moving so fast. And then it was just gone. Why didn't it kill us?"

"Whoever was controlling the truck wants you afraid first." Isabeau says looking over at Dean and Sam.

Sam looks over at Mrs. Robinson, "Mrs Robinson, Cassie said that your husband saw the truck before he died."

Mrs. Robinson says nothing, shaking.

Cassie looks at her mother, "Mom?"

Her mother turns to her, "Oh. Martin was under a lot of stress. You can't be sure about what he was seeing."

"Well after tonight I think we can be reasonably sure he was seeing a truck. What happened tonight, you and Cassie are marked. Ok? Your daughter could die. So if you know something now would be a really good time to tell us about it." Isabeau was tired of being in the dark about this. Cassie's mother knew something.

"Isabeau…" Cassie scolds her.

"Yes. Yes, he said he saw a truck." Mrs. Robinson confirms.

"Did he know who it belonged to?" Dean asks.

"He thought he did."

"Who was that?"

Mrs. Robinson is getting upset, "Cyrus. A man named Cyrus."

Isabeau, Sam and Dean look at each other, Dean reaches for his bag and shows Mrs. Robinson the newspaper article about Dorian's death, "Is this Cyrus?"

Mrs. Robinson looks away, "Cyrus Dorian died more than 40 years ago."

Isabeau thinks about it for a moment, "How do you know he died, Mrs Robinson? The paper's said he went missing. How do you know he died?" She asks softly.

"We were all very young. I dated Cyrus a while, I was also seeing Martin...in secret of course. Inter-racial couples didn't go over too well back then. When I broke it off with Cyrus and when he found out about Martin, I don't know, he changed. His hatred. His hatred was frightening."Mrs. Robinson explains.

"The string of murders." Sam states.

"There were rumours. People of colour disappearing into some kind of a truck. Nothing was ever done. Martin and a... Martin and I, we were gunna be, uh, married in that little church near here, but last minute we decided to elope as we didn't want the attention." Mrs. Robinson says upset, tears coming to her eyes.

"And Cyrus?" Isabeau asks.

Mrs. Robinson completely breaks down, "The day we set for the wedding, was the day someone set fire to the church. There was a children's choir practising in there. They all died."

Isabeau closes her eyes, hearing children die… it made her sick to her stomach.

"Did the attacks stop after that?" Sam asks softly.

Mrs. Robinson sobs, "No! There was one more. One night that truck came for Martin. Cyrus beat him something terrible. But Martin, you see, Martin got loose. And he started hitting Cyrus and he just kept hitting him and hitting him."

"Why didn't you call the cops?" Dean asks.

Mrs. Robinson continues to sob, "This was forty years ago. He called on his friends, Clayton Soames and Jimmy Anderson, and they put Cyrus' body into the truck and they rolled it into the swamp at the end of his land and all three of them kept that secret all of these years."

"And now all three are gone." Sam says.

"And so is Mayor Todd. Now, he said that you of all people would know he is not a racist. Why would he say that?" Isabeau asks.

"He was a good man. He was a young deputy back then investigating Cyrus' disappearance. Once he figured out what Martin and the others had done he...he did nothing, because he also knew what Cyrus had done." Mrs. Robinson explains.

Tears came to Cassie's eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mrs. Robinson shakes her head, "I thought I was protecting them. And now there's no one left to protect."

"Yes there is." Isabeau looks at Cassie and so does Mrs. Robinson, looking shaken. The mother and daughter take each other's hands.

* * *

Sam and Dean lean against Impala, as Isabeau stands across from them, all of them outside of Cassie's house.

"Ah, my life was so simple. Just school, exams, papers on polycentric cultural norms." Sam says.

Dean nods, "So I guess I saved you from a boring existence."

"Yeah, occasionally I miss boring." Sam states.

Isabeau scoffs, "Wish I had boring." She looks back at Cassie's house.

Dean sighs, "Beau, you know we got to talk about this."

Isabeau sighs, looking back at Sam and Dean who are staring at her, "As I said, Cassie was a distraction for me. At first everything seemed easy, you know?"

The brothers stare at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Being with Cassie... I was lying to myself. I wanted love, but the one's I wanted it from weren't around and… in the end I hurt everyone." Isabeau tells them.

Dean shakes his head with a laugh, "You didn't hurt us, Isabeau. We just wanted the truth."

She huffs, "Can we seriously talk about this later? You both know and I know how we feel about each other. I've known since the shapeshifter."

Sam's eyes widen, "You knew that long?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah…" She shakes her head, "Killer truck now, sort out our shit later."

Sam and Dean nod, pushing the conversation for later. "I miss conversations that didn't start with 'killer truck'. Ah." Sam says with a chuckle.

Dean laughs a little, "Well this Cyrus guy. Evil on a level that infected even his truck. When he died, the swamp became his tomb, and his spirit was dormant for 40 years."

Isabeau's shoulder's relaxed, things were back to normal… for now.

"So what woke it up?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shrugs, "The construction on his house. Or the destruction."

Sam nods, "Right. Demolition or remodelling can awaken spirits, make them restless."

Isabeau nods, "Mmm-hmm."

Sam looks over at Dean, "Like that theatre in Illinois, ya know?"

"And the guy that tore down the family homestead, Harold Todd, is the same guy that kept Cyrus' murder quiet and unsolved." Dean says.

"So now his spirit is awakened and out for blood."

Isabeau purses her lips, "Yeah I guess. Who knows what ghosts are thinking anyway."

"You know we're going to have to dredge that body up from the swamp right?" Sam asks.

Isabeau smiles at the both of them.

Sam shakes his head, "Man."

Dean smiles, "You said it."

"Yeah."

Cassie approaches from the house and Isabeau turns to her, "Hey."

"Hey. She's asleep. Now what?" Cassie asks.

"Well you should stay put and look after her... and we'll be back. Don't leave the house." Isabeau tells her.

Cassie smiles weakly, "Don't go getting all authoritative on me. I hate it."

Isabeau glances behind her to Sam and Dean. Both of them stare at the two girls.

"Don't leave the house please?" Isabeau begs.

Cassie nods and walks past Isabeau to stand in front of Sam and Dean, "Make sure Sparky over there doesn't do anything stupid?"

Sam and Dean blink at her in surprise at the request. Dean shakes his head and smiles, "That's a little impossible with, hothead."

Isabeau groans, "Why all the nicknames?"

Cassie looks over at Isabeau amused, "Hothead, huh? I think Sparky suits her better. What with…" Cassie wiggles her fingers, "What happened last night."

Sam looks over at Isabeau in confusion. What happened last night?

Cassie then chuckles, "I just trust that her boys can keep her from doing stuff that I couldn't." She then walks away, giving Isabeau one last look and heads back to the house.

"Sparky? Isabeau what happened last night?" Dean asks when Cassie is gone.

Isabeau looks down at her hand, "That's also something to add to the list of things to talk about."

* * *

They headed over to the Dorian property. Sam waves to Dean, "All right. Let's get her up."

Dean is at the wheel of a tractor. He drives it forward, pulling a truck from the water.

Isabeau waves at him to keep going, "All right. A little more. Little more. All right, stop."

Dean turns off the engine and jumps down.

"Nice." Sam comments.

All of them move to the trunk of the Impala. "Hell yeah." Dean says.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dean asks Isabeau as he's rummaging through the weapons in the trunk.

"What?" Isabeau asks.

"When you heard the shapeshifter say that we love you. Why didn't you tell us?" Sam asks, backing up his brother.

Isabeau shakes her head, "I could ask you the same thing about Aunty Missouri telling you that I felt the same… Can we focus please?"

Sam shakes his head, knowing that she was right, "We're just saying, Isabeau."

"Yeah, and I'm just saying…"

"Hold that." Dean interrupts the two, asking Sam to hold up the hidden glove compartment in the trunk.

"All right. What am I getting?" Sam asks.

"Gas. Flashlight…" Dean list off.

"Got it. got it."

"Beau, got the fire?" Dean asks her, once again pushing the conversation aside for later and getting down to business.

Isabeau nods, igniting her hand in flames, "Yep."

Dean nods, "Ok, let's get this done."

"All right." Sam says.

Dean lowers the trunk of the impala, "Got it."

They move toward the door of the truck, and glance at each other. Dean opens it and a decayed body falls out.

Isabeau and Sam grimace at the body.

"All right let's get to it." Dean says.

* * *

They place the body on top of a pile of wood. Sam douses the body in gasoline as Dean covers it in salt. Isabeau then steps up and throws a small ball of fire onto the body, sending it up in flames.

They stand watching as the body burns.

"Think that'll do it?" Sam asks.

They hear the growl of an engine and the ghost truck appears, the headlights come on and engine revving.

They look up in fear. "I guess not." Dean states.

"So burning the body had no effect on that thing?" Sam asks.

Isabeau nods, "Sure it did. Now it's really pissed."

"But Cyrus' ghost is gone, right?"

Isabeau reaches into Dean's pocket, grabbing the keys to the impala, and starts walking away, "Apparently not the part that's fused with the truck."

Sam looks at her in fear, "Where you going?"

She stops by the impala, "Goin' for a little ride."

"What?!" Dean exclaims.

"Gonna lead that thing away. That busted piece of crap, you gotta burn it." Isabeau tells them.

"How the hell are we supposed to burn a truck, Isabeau?" Dean asks.

"I don't know. Figure something out." Isabeau throws Sam a bag.

Sam catches the bag and stutters, "Figure some-something-"

Isabeau gets in and reverses the Impala and takes off. The ghost truck roars after her. Sam and Dean hide until it has passed.

Isabeau and the impala lead the truck on a wild ride through the misty back roads.

Dean is flipping through John's journal as Sam shines on it with a flashlight. Just then, Sam's phone rings, "Hey, you gotta give us a minute."

"I don't have a minute! What are we doing?!" Isabeau exclaims through the phone.

"Uh... Let us get back to you." Sam hangs up.

Isabeau looks at her phone, astounded, "Get back to me?!" She shrieks.

Sam dials a number on his phone, "Hey Cassie? Hey, it's Sam, I need some information and it has to be exactly right."

A few minutes pass and Isabeau picks up her phone once it rings.

"All right, Isabeau?"

"This better be good!" She exclaims in panic. She saw that the tendrils of electricity were crackling along her fingers that were clenched around the steering wheel.

"Where are you?"

"In the middle of nowhere with a killer truck on my ass! It's like it knows I put the torch to Cyrus!"

Sam takes a breath, trying not to panic, "Isabeau, Beau! Listen to me, this is important. I have to know exactly where you are."

Isabeau looks at a road sign as the impala roars pass, "Decatur road, about two miles off the highway."

Dean takes the phone and puts it on speaker so both of them could talk to her, "Ok. Headed East?"

"Yes!"

The truck back-ends the impala, which goes skidding all over the road before regaining traction. Isabeau screams out and both brothers look down at the phone in fear.

"You son of a bitch!" Isabeau exclaims.

Dean shakes his head, "Ok, uh, turn right! Up ahead, turn right."

Isabeau swings right, the truck follows, both engines screaming and revving.

"You make the turn?" Sam asks.

"Yeah I made the turn! You need to move this thing along a little faster!" Isabeau says.

"All right, you see a road up ahead?"

"No! Wait. No, yes, I see it."

The truck is slowly gaining ground on the impala's left side.

"Ok, turn left." Dean orders.

"What?!" Grimacing, Isabeau slams on the brakes and the truck careens past as she spins the impala left onto the smaller road.

"All right, now what?"

"You need to go seven tenths of a mile and then stop."

"Stop?" Isabeau questions.

"Exactly seven tenths, Isabeau." Sam emphasizes.

Isabeau looks down at the speedometer, "Seven tenths, seven tenths."

At the right moment Isabeau slams on the brakes, spins the car around and moves it back to sit exactly where Sam and Dean advised, facing back the way she had come.

She is between two posts on each side of the road and the last remains of a wall, almost totally broken down. The ghost truck appears back down the road she came down, revving its engine.

"Isabeau, you still there?" Sam asks, breathing deeply.

Isabeau licks her lips, "Yeah."

"What's happening?" Dean asks.

"It's just staring at me, what do I do?"

"Just what you are doing, bringing it to you." Sam says.

Isabeau takes a breath, if this didn't work, might as well let everything out, "I'm sorry."

"Beau?" Dean asks slowly.

A tear falls down Isabeau's face, "I've always loved you both. I'm sorry for what I've done. I just wish I said it sooner." She throws her phone to the side, hearing the faint screams of Sam and Dean calling out her name.

The truck spins it's tires and comes barreling toward Isabeau and the impala. Isabeau watches it come, hanging tightly to the impala's steering wheel, the electricity on her fingers crackling louder.

"Come on Come on." Isabeau growls out.

As it reaches her, she closes her eyes and hangs on tight. The truck roars through her, disintegrating into nothing as it does so.

Isabeau opens her eyes and stares at the now empty road in front of her. All that can be heard is the purring of the impala's engine, the truck's revving having completely disappeared. Isabeau twists quickly to look behind and sees nothing.

"Isabeau. You still there? Isabeau?" Sam's voice cracks through the phone.

Isabeau picks up the phone, shocked, "Where'd it go?"

Sam and Dean sigh in relief, "Isabeau, you're where the church was." Dean tells her.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "The place Cyrus burned down and murdered all those kids?"

She looks at the posts left on the side of the road, "There's not a whole lot left."

"Church ground is hallowed ground, whether the church is still there or not. Evil spirits cross over hallowed ground, sometimes they're destroyed, so we figured, maybe, that would get rid of it." Sam explains to her.

Isabeau's eyes widen, "Maybe? Maybe! What if you were wrong?"

Sam and Dean share a look, realizing their slip up, "Huh. Honestly that thought hadn't occurred to us."

Isabeau stares at her phone, then hangs up and mimics Sam, "Well it honestly didn't occur to us." Isabeau slaps the steering wheel, "I love them, but I'm gonna kill them."

* * *

Isabeau and Cassie walk toward the impala that was parked along the docks. Sam and Dean are leaning against the impala waiting for them.

"My mother says to tell you thanks again." Cassie tells her.

Isabeau nods and they come to a stop beside the impala, facing each other.

"This is a better goodbye than last time." Cassie says.

Isabeau chuckles, "Yeah, it sure is."

Cassie looks over at Sam and Dean, "Take care of, Sparky."

Sam and Dean nod. They'll take care of her until the end of time.

Cassie looks back at Isabeau, "Goodbye, Isabeau."

Isabeau smiles weakly, "I'll see ya Cassie...I will."

They stare at each other, and embrace in a hug. The two pull away and Isabeau gets into the backseat of the impala. Dean gets into the passenger seat and Sam gets into the driver's seat.

Sam and Dean wave to Cassie who waves back and the impala drives off.

* * *

Isabeau stares out the window while Sam drives.

"What now?" Sam asks.

Isabeau sighs, "I don't know… I meant what I said last night. I love you both. And I'm sorry that this happened."

Dean sighs, "Beau, we pushed you. Cassie was a time in your life that we weren't a part of and it's partially our fault for not talking to about it the right way."

Isabeau frowns, "But it's my fault that I went to her. I used her and I hate myself for it."

Sam tightens his grip on the steering wheel, "She was the first person you were with after your first asshole of a boyfriend. You were confused. At least you told her in the end."

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, still hurt her though."

Dean bites his lip, "We love you, Isabeau."

Isabeau looks at him, "I know, but…" She glances at Sam, "I know you're not ready Sam."

Sam glances at her, "I might not be ready, Beau. But I do love you and you're not the only one who was lying to themself."

Dena and Isabeau look at him confused.

Sam chuckles, "I didn't realize it until I was with you again. I loved Jess, but she was a distraction. Just how Cassie was for you." He takes a breath, "I'm still getting over her, but I do want to be with you, Isabeau. More than anything. I just need a little more time."

Isabeau nods, leaning forward and resting her arms on the front seat, "I get it. I do." She then chuckles, "Not exactly the way I wanted to tell you guys."

Dean chuckles, "Yeah, not the way we wanted to tell you either."

"So, we take this slow. Nothing official, yet. But, I want things to get back to normal as well. No more secrets." Isabeau says.

Sam and Dean share a look and nod. "I'm good with that. How about you, Dean?" Sam asks.

Dean smiles, "Knowing that the girl we love wants to be with us… I'm ecstatic." He turns to look at her, "Even if it isn't official yet."

Isabeau chuckles and shakes her head, "Speaking of no more secrets. I got a few more things."

"No other past relationships I hope." Dean comments.

Isabeau swats his shoulder, "No, it has to do with Cassie's 'Sparky' nickname."

"What about it?" Sam asks.

Isabeau bites her lip, and puts her out in between Sam and Dean. Once again, the small tendrils of electricity crackle along her fingers.

Sam glances down at it in shock while trying to keep his eyes on the road, "What the hell?"

Dean grabs her wrist and looks at her hand in fascination. "How?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "I have no clue. I've felt this buzzing feeling ever since we left Nebraska."

"After we stopped Sue Ann from controlling the reaper? After you were healed?" Sam asks.

Isabeau nods, "Maybe being healed kick started something in me. I mean it's not the only thing that's changed." The electricity on her fingers disappeared.

"What else?"

Isabeau takes a breath, "Remember the scarecrow? How it was a pagan god and those townspeople were offering me as a gift?"

"Do you need to remind us about that?" Dean asks.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Really, Dean?"

"Yes really! They said you were a gift! I still don't know what they meant by that." Dean says.

"He's got a point, Isabeau. I don't even know what they meant. We just thought you got free before the scarecrow got to you." Sam says.

Isabeau huffs, "Well, it did."

Sam glances at her, confused, "And it didn't hurt you?"

She shakes her head, "No, it actually cut me loose. And it… spoke to me."

Dean and Sam furrow their brow. "It spoke to you?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, it told me where you guys were and that it wouldn't hurt you because of me. It also asked me to choose who was going to be the sacrifice."

Dean and Sam sit in silence with the new information. "And you told it to go after the aunt and uncle?" Sam asks.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah…" She trails off, "It also called me 'Mother'. Even nature has been calling me that lately. It never did that before."

She pauses, "I don't know what's happening to me. First this whole 'Mother' thing and now I can control electricity and lightning!"

Dean turns to her, thinks about it for a moment. He remembers the symbol that the professor explained to them. He wondered if that had anything to do with it, "We'll figure it out."

Sam nods, "Like we always do."

Isabeau smiles and as per usual, she leans over and places kisses on both of their cheeks.

Despite what was happening with Isabeau, there was light at the end of the tunnel for them. They admitted their love and even though it would take time, every step forward is going to be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. What a chapter. So all three of them admitted that they love each other but are deciding to take it slow for the sake of Sam. They're aren't official yet, but now they'll be a little more intimate than usual. And Isabeau got a new power! She can control electricity and lightning now! I was originally going to put that for next season, but I decided to do that in the first season cause I thought it would fit better. Hope you all enjoyed!


	31. Nightmare Pt.1

Sam starts up from his motel bed, suddenly wide awake. He looks across to where Dean and Isabeau are sleeping peacefully together.

Sam sits a moment, then moves into action, flipping on the light switch and shaking the both of them, "Dean. Isabeau."

The moment the two stir, Sam rises and starts gathering his things.

Isabeau yawns as Dean rubs his eyes, "What are you doing man, it's the middle of the night."

Isabeau pulls away from Dean, sitting up and looking at Sam half asleep. Dean raises himself on his elbows.

Sam puts his stuff into his bag, "We have to go."

"What's happening?" Isabeau asks.

"We have to go. Right now." Sam grabs his bag and walks out.

Dean and Isabeau look at each other confused.

* * *

Isabeau sits in between Dean, who is driving, and Sam, who is on the phone.

Sam reads from a Michigan State Police ID, "McReady. Detective McReady. Badge number 158. I've got a signal 480 in progress, I need the registered owner of a two door sedan, Michigan licence plate Mary-Frank-six-zero-three-seven. Yeah ok, just hurry."

"Sammy, relax. I'm sure it's just a nightmare." Dean says.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam jabs.

"I mean it. Y'know, a normal, everyday, naked-in-class, nightmare. This licence plate, it won't check out. You'll see."

"It felt different, Dean. Real. Like when I dreamt about our old house. And Jessica."

Dean nods, "Yeah, that makes sense. You're dreaming about our house, your girlfriend. This guy in your dream, you ever seen him before?"

"No."

Isabeau shakes her head, "Why would you have premonitions about some random dude in Michigan."

Sam shakes his head sadly at her, "I don't know."

"Me neither." Dean comments.

"Yes I'm here." Sam speaks into the phone.

He listens, glares at Dean, then picks up his pen, "Jim Miller. Saginaw, Michigan. You have a street address? Got it. Thanks."

Sam hangs up the phone and sighs, "Checks out. How far are we?"

"From Saginaw?" Dean asks. "Coupla hours."

"Drive faster." Sam says.

* * *

The Impala cruises to a stop, the boys see the Emergency vehicles and someone on a stretcher being zipped into a body bag. They turn to each other in the car, Dean concerned, and Sam upset.

Sam reaches down and grasps Isabeau's hand. Isabeau stares at the scene with a mixture of fear and concern, but it was for Sam.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam approach the watching crowd. "What happened?" Dean asks a random woman.

"Suicide." She shakes her head, "Can't believe it."

"Did you know them?" Sam asks her.

"Saw him in every Sunday at St Augustines. He always seems...seemed, so normal. I guess you never know what's going on behind closed doors." She explains to them.

Isabeau stares straight ahead, "Guess not."

"How did...uh. How are they saying it happened?" Sam asks.

"I heard they found him in the garage, locked inside his car with the engine running." The woman answers.

"Do you know about what time they found him?" Isabeau asks her.

"Oh it just happened about an hour or two ago." All three of them glance at each other. That was when Sam woke Isabeau and Dean up. "His poor family. I can't even imagine what they're going through."

A woman stands on the front step of the house, crying and leaning against a middle aged man. A young man stands behind them, looking distraught.

Sam watches, grimacing, then turns to walk away. Dean and Isabeau notice and follow him back to lean against the impala's hood.

Isabeau sighs, rubbing his arm, "Sam we got here as fast we could."

"Not fast enough." Sam shakes his head, "It doesn't make any sense. Why would I even have these premonitions if there wasn't a chance I could stop them from happening?"

Dean shakes his head, "I dunno."

Sam shakes his head and sighs, "So what do you think killed him?"

Isabeau shrugs, "Maybe the guy just killed himself? Maybe there's nothing supernatural going on at all."

Sam shakes his head again, "I'm telling you, I watched it happen. He was murdered by something, Isabeau. I watched it trap him in the garage." Isabeau nods, she believes him.

"What was it, a spirit, poltergeist, what?" Dean asks.

Sam gets worked up, "I don't know what it was. I don't know why I'm having these dreams, I don't know what the hell is happening, Dean."

Dean stares at Sam for a long moment.

"What?" Sam asks.

Dean shrugs, "Nothing. I'm just, I'm worried about you man."

"Well, don't look at me like that!"

Dean looks away, "I'm not looking at you like anything."

Isabeau purses her lips, "Though I gotta say, you do look like crap."

Sam looks down at her in disbelief, "Nice. Thanks."

Isabeau raises her hands in defense, "I'm just saying, Stretch. I'm worried about you too. You're losing sleep again."

Sam sighs in defeat, "I know."

Dean moves to open the car door, "Come on, lets just pick this up in the morning. We'll check out the house, talk to the family."

Isabeau turns to him, "Dean, you saw them, they're devastated. They're not going to want to talk to us."

Dean thinks, "Yeah you're right. But I think I know who they will talk to."

Sam looks at him confused, "Who?"

Dean smirks at both of them.

* * *

Dean rings the doorbell to the Miller's house.

Sam sighs, his hair slicked back neatly, "This has gotta be a whole new low for us."

Dean turns to smirk at Sam, then looks back at the door, waiting.

Isabeau smirks at the two, who were dressed as priests in black suits, "I think you two look… what's the word? Hot? Yeah, let's go with that."

Isabeau herself was dressed in different clothing; she decided to go against Dean's idea of her dressing up as a nun and just went for the idea of being a member of the local church. She was wearing a simple short sleeved black sundress with a small white floral pattern that went to just above her knees along with a pair of simple open toe high heeled shoes.

Just something simple and innocent. She even covered up her entire tattoo sleeve with cover up, making it look like she had no tattoos in the first place. She still wore her rosary around her wrist, knowing that it would add to her character.

Sam glances down at her with a smile, "Seriously?" He was amused by her statement. Ever since they confessed to each other, Isabeau was more open with her thoughts about them, which usually lead to either him or Dean becoming flustered at her statements.

Dean looks at her with a smirk, his hand that was resting at the small of her back, slowly made its way down to cup her ass, "You don't look too bad yourself, sweetheart."

Isabeau raises a brow at him, reaching over to remove his hand, "Usually I'd let that slide, but we need to sell this, Dean."

"She's right." Sam chuckles, but agrees with his brother, "You look nice, Isabeau."

Isabeau smiles softly at him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and pulling herself together before the door opens.

The man comforting Ms. Miller on the step the night before opens the door.

Dean smiles, "Good afternoon. I'm Father Simmons, this is Father Frehley. We're new junior priests over at St Augustines. And this is Isabelle, a long-time member of the church. May we come in?" Dean introduces all of them with fake names.

The man nods.

"Thanks." Dean enters.

Sam and Isabeau follow, "We're very sorry for your loss." Isabeau says.

"It's in difficult times like these when the Lord's guidance is most needed." Dean says.

The man holds up a hand to stop Dean, "Look, you wanna pitch your whole 'Lord has a plan' thing? Fine. Just don't pitch it to me. My brother's dead."

Ms. Miller appears behind Dean, Isabeau and Sam, "Roger, please."

"Excuse me." Roger moves away from them.

Ms. Miller walks up to them, "I'm sorry about my brother in law. He's...he's just so upset about Jim's death. Would you like some coffee?"

Dean smiles, "That would be great."

* * *

They head into the lounge, Dean is sitting on the couch, Sam is in an armchair and Isabeau is standing next to him. Ms. Miller pours coffee and hands it around, "It was wonderful of you to stop by. The support of the church means so much right now."

Sam takes his with a smile, shaking his hand at how hot the cup was. Isabeau takes hes with a smile as well, the scolding heat from the cup not bothering her in the slightest bit.

"Of course. After all, we are all God's children." Dean says.

Isabeau takes a sip of her coffee, cringing at the taste. She never did care for it.

Ms. Miller walks away and Dean immediately takes more cocktail sausages from the coffee table. Chewing contentedly, he looks at Sam and Isabeau who are shaking their heads.

"What?" Dean asks them.

"Just...tone it down a little bit, Father." Isabeau smirks at Dean, emphasizing the word 'Father'.

"You're liking the priest outfits a little too much." Dean points out with a smug smile.

Isabeau shrugs, "What can I say? I'm weak for the uniforms."

Sam shakes his head with his own smile, taking a sip of his coffee. He might just have to remember that for the future.

Ms. Miller returns, sitting next to Dean. "So, Ms. Miller, did your husband have a history of depression?" Dean asks.

Ms. Miller shakes her head, "Nothing like that." she began to get upset, "We had our ups and downs like everyone but we were happy."

She breaks down, "I just don't understand...how Jim could do something like this."

Sam frowns, "I'm so sorry you had to find him like that."

Ms. Miller gestures behind her, "Actually, our son Max, he was the one who found him."

Sam and Isabeau look through the doors into the dining room and see Max sitting in the corner, staring into space.

Isabeau sets her coffee down on the table, "Do you mind if maybe, Father Frehley and I go talk to him?" She asks Ms. Miller.

Ms. Miller smiles through her tears, "Oh, thank you, dear. Thank you, Father."

* * *

Sam nods with a tight smile and him and Isabeau approach Max in the other room.

"Max? Hey, I'm Sam. This is Isabeau."

Sam pulls up a chair and gestures for Isabeau to sit as they talk with Max. Isabeau reluctantly sits down in the chair and crosses her legs as Sam stands beside her.

She didn't realize that wearing heels affected her until she sat down. All she wanted to do was throw them out a window and go barefoot. Though that would be very much frowned upon.

"So what was your Dad like?" Sam asks Max.

Max gives them a tight smile, "Just a normal Dad."

"Yeah. You live at home now?" Isabeau asks.

"Yeah." Max weakly says, "Trying to save up for school but it's hard."

Isabeau nods, giving him a weak encouraging smile, "So when you found your dad…"

"I woke up, I heard the engine running." He takes a long pause, "I don't know why he did it."

Sam nods, licking his lips, "I know it's rough, losing a parent. Especially when you don't have all the answers."

* * *

Dean enters the upstairs hallway. Checking if the coast is clear, he pulls an infer-red thermal scanner from his pocket and turns it on, shining it into rooms as he passes.

As he reaches the end of the hall he hears footsteps coming up the stairs and hastily hides the scanner. Sam and Isabeau appear.

Isabeau leans her hand on the wall next to one of the lamps, trying to take weight off her feet from the heels.

"Anything?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head, "Zip."

Isabeau sighs, "Damn it." When she says that, tendrils of electricity travel from her fingers and to the lamp above her, making the light-bulb pop.

The three of them flinch at the sound. Sam and Dean look to Isabeau who looks at the now dead light-bulb in defeat, "I really need to get a hold of this new power."

She shakes her head and leads the brothers back downstairs.

* * *

They headed back to the hotel and Isabeau was beyond ecstatic to change out of her heels and into her regular clothing. She was sitting at the table with a light-bulb in her hands that was flickering on and off from her practicing her new power over electricity.

Dean is sitting on one of the beds with his weapons laid out on the other bed in front of him and cleaning them. Both glance up as Sam pins papers to the wall.

"So, what do you have?" Dean asks.

"A whole lotta nothing. Nothing bad has happened in the Miller house since it was built." Sam informs them.

"What about the land?" Isabeau says, walking over and pulling a chair with her. She places it facing both beds and sits, still playing with the light-bulb.

"No grave yards, battle fields, tribal lands or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property." Sam sinks onto his bed.

"Hey man I told you, I searched that house up and down. No cold spots, sulfur scent. Nada." Dean says, loading a gun.

"And the family said everything was normal?" Sam turns to look back at Dean.

"Well, if there was a demon or poltergeist in there you think somebody would have noticed something? I used the infer-red thermal scanner man, and there was nothing." Dean says.

"So what, you think Jim Miller killed himself and my dream was just some sorta freakish coincidence?" Sam asks.

Isabeau sets down the light-bulb next to Dean's weapons, "It's not freaky, Sam." She sighs, shrugging her shoulder, "But, I dunno. I'm pretty sure there's nothing supernatural about that house. I mean… I got no visions while we were there. Though those aren't always reliable."

Sam reaches up to rub his temples, "Yeah. Well, maybe, uh, it has nothing to do with the house."

He winces, taking a deep breath, and holding his head, "Maybe it's just...Gosh."

Isabeau looks over at Sam in concern and so does Dean. Sam holds his hand to his forehead, "... maybe it's connected to Jim in some other way?"

"What's wrong with you?" Dean asks.

Sam makes anguished noises and sinks from the bed to crouch on the floor, "Ahh. Yeah, my head!"

Isabeau immediately gets up from her seat, "Sam?" She crouches down and grabs a hold of his upper arms. "What's going on?"

Dean leaves his bed as well, crouching down by Sam's side, next Isabeau and touches Sam's arm as well, "Talk to us!"

Sam stares into Isabeau's eyes, breathing harshly.

Isabeau's hands reach up to cup Sam's cheeks, he seems out of it. Like he wasn't with them anymore. Like how she was when she saw visions of the past.

"Beau… what's happening?" Dean asks her, worried for Sam.

Isabeau shakes her head, "I-I don't know. I think the dreams are actually premonitions or visions. Whatever you want to call them."

Sam focuses back to Isabeau and Dean, no longer looking out of it, "It's happening again. Something's gonna kill Roger Miller."

* * *

Dean is driving the impala as Sam is on his phone. Isabeau watches Sam from in between the two brothers.

Sam speaks slowly into his phone, holding his head, "Roger Miller. Ah no no, just the address please. Ok, thanks."

Sam sighs, "450 West Grove, Apartment 1120." He tells Dean.

"You ok?" Isabeau asks softly.

Sam sighs, brushing her hair behind her ear to ease her worry, "Yeah."

"If you're gonna hurl I'll pull the car over you know, cause the upholstery…" Dean comments.

"I'm fine. Just drive." Sam repeats himself.

"All right." Dean says, directing his attention back on the road.

Sam looks at Dean, sighs heavily, and looks away, "Dean, I'm scared man. These nightmares weren't bad enough, now I'm seeing things when I'm awake? And these, visions, or whatever, they're getting more intense. And painful."

"Come on man, you'll be alright. It'll be fine." Dean says.

"What is it about the Millers? Why am I connected to them? Why am I watching them die? Why the hell is this happening to me?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head, "I don't know Sam, but we'll figure it out. We've faced the unexplainable every day. This is just another thing."

"No. It's never been _us_. It's never been in the family like this. Tell the truth, you can't tell me this doesn't freak you out." Sam asks him.

After staring straight ahead for a long moment, Dean answers, "This doesn't freak me out."

Sam stares at him, then turns to Isabeau, "Does this freak you out?"

Isabeau shakes her head and scoffs, "No… not one bit. We both have things happening to _us_ , Sam. Me and you. We're gonna figure it out. Like Dean said."

Sam grabs her hand, and squeezes it. He knew that she was going to be there with him every step of the way.

Dean does the same with her other hand, but all for a different reason. He was scared about what was happening to his brother and Isabeau. With Sam, it terrified him to know that something terrifying was happening to his brother.

And it scared him to see Isabeau, the woman he loves, becoming something that she herself is terrified of. He needs her, just as much as she needs him and his brother.

* * *

The Impala pulls up as Roger approaches the entrance of his apartment building with a bag of groceries.

"Hey Roger." Sam calls out the window.

"Hey hold up a second." Dean calls out as well.

"What are you guys, missionaries? Leave me alone." Roger waves the three of them off.

"Please!" Isabeau yells out, but Roger is gone.

Dean guns the engine, jumping the curb as he hurriedly parks.

Sam gets out of the impala and runs, "Hey. Roger. We're trying to help!"

"Please! Hey, hey hey hey hey." Sam runs up to the entrance just as Roger closes the door behind him.

"I don't want your help." Roger walks away. Isabeau and Dean run up to the door.

"We're not priests, you gotta listen to us!" Sam calls after him.

"Roger, you're in danger!" Dean yells.

Isabeau looks around and gestures for Sam and Dean to follow her, "Come on. Come on. Come on."

The three of them run around the corner to a back entrance, it is securely locked.

Isabeau quickly looks around then kicks it open. Sam and Dean run in first, and Isabeau follows.

They jump to the first level of the fire escape then run up the stairs. When they are one floor from Roger's house, they hear the window slide down and a wet squelching noise. Sam and Isabeau freeze, and Dean sprints past him and Isabeau and grabs the railing.

Roger's head lies in the flower bed under the window, and his blood all over the kitchen window. Sam and Isabeau join him. After a long pause Dean pulls a few bandanas from his pocket, throwing one to Sam and Isabeau.

"Start wiping down your fingerprints, we don't want the cops to know we were here. Come on, come on!" Dean says as the two follow his orders, whipping down every surface they touched.

Dean uses his bandana to push up the window leading out to the fire escape, "I'm gonna take a look inside."

Sam and Isabeau continue wiping down the metal railing.

* * *

"I'm telling you there was nothing in there. No signs either, just like the Miller's house." Dean says as they walk back to the impala.

"I saw something, in the vision. Like a dark shape. Something was...something was stalking Roger." Sam tells Dean and Isabeau.

"Well, whatever it was, are you sure it's not connected to their house?" Dean asks.

"No, it's connected to the family themselves. So what do you think, like a vengeful spirit?" Sam asks.

Dean nods, "Well yeah, there's a few that have been known to latch onto families, follow them for years."

"Angiak. Banshees." Isabeau states. She slides into the front seat, sitting in the middle and both brothers slide in on both sides of her.

Dean and Sam close the doors in unison. "Basically like a curse. So maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy, something curse worthy." Dean suggests.

Sam nods, "And now something is out for revenge. And the men in their family are dying."

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Hey, you think Max is in Danger?" She asks them.

"Let's figure it out before he is." Dean says.

"Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people." Sam says.

Dean looks over at him, "What's that?"

Sam scoffs, "Both our families are cursed."

Dean huffs, "Our family's not cursed! We just...had our dark spots."

Sam chuckles, "Our dark spots are...pretty dark."

"You're...dark." Dean jabs.

Isabeau snorts, "Nice comeback." She then thought about what they said. She wondered how they would react when they met the rest of her family.

* * *

The next morning, Max leads Sam, Dean and Isabeau in. Sam and Dean are wearing their priest's outfits and Isabeau is back in her dress and heels.

"My Mom's resting, she's pretty wrecked." Max tells them.

"Of course." Dean says, understanding.

"All these people kept coming with like, casseroles? I finally had to tell them all to go away. You know cause nothing says I'm sorry like a tuna casserole." Max says and the three glance over at the dining room table that was covered in wrapped casseroles.

Sam and Isabeau smile and Max smiles back.

Max gestures to the couch and they all take seats, Isabeau of course in her usual spot in between the two boys. There is a moment's silence, then Sam sighs, "How you holding up?" He asks softly.

Max sighs, "I'm okay."

"You're dad and your uncle were close?" Sam asks.

"Yeah I guess. I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out all the time when I was little." Max says.

Isabeau shakes her head, "But not lately much?"

"No, it's not that. It's just...we used to be neighbours when I was a kid, and we lived across town in this house. Uncle Roger lived next door, so he was over all the time." Max explains.

Isabeau nods, "Right. So how was it in that house when you were a kid?"

"It was fine. Why?" Max asks.

"All good memories? Do you remember anything unusual? Something involving your father and your uncle maybe?" Dean asks.

Isabeau could feel the atmosphere shift around her, as Max answered, shaking his head, "Why do you...why do you ask?"

"Just a question." Dean says.

Isabeau frowns at Max. She felt like he wasn't telling them something.

Max takes a breath, "No, there was nothing. We were totally normal. Happy."

Dean nods, "Good. That's good. Well you must be exhausted. We should take off."

"Right." Sam nods and turns to Max, "Thanks."

"Yeah." Max says softly.


	32. Nightmare Pt.2

Isabeau, Sam and Dean walk down the drive to stand beside the impala.

"No one's family is totally normal and happy. See when he was talking about his old house?" Dean says.

"He sounded scared." Isabeau answers.

"Yeah, Max isn't telling us everything. I say we go find the old neighbourhood, find out what life was really like for the Millers." Dean says and all three get in the impala.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean stand on the footpath, talking to a man in his front yard, back in their normal clothing. "Have you lived in the neighbourhood very long?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, almost 20 years now. It's nice and quiet. Why, you looking to buy?" The man answers.

Sam shakes his head, "No, no, actually, we were wondering if you might recall a family that used to live right across the street I believe."

"Yeah the Millers. They had a little boy called Max." Dean says.

Sam nods, "Right."

"Yeah, I remember. The brother had the place next door. So uh, what's this about, is that poor kid ok?" The man asks.

Isabeau could feel buzzing in her fingers, "What do you mean?"

"Well in my life I've never seen a child treated like that. I mean I'd hear Mr. Miller yelling and throwing things clear across the street, he was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar outta Max. Bruises. Broke his arm two times that I know of."

Isabeau's jaw clenches, "This was going on regularly?"

The man nods, "Practically every day. In fact that thug brother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy but the worst part was the stepmother. She'd just stand there, checked out, not lifting a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times. Never did any good."

"Now you said step-mother." Dean points out.

"I think his real mother died. Some sorta...accident. Car accident I think." The man says.

Sam has his hand to his head and is grimacing. Isabeau looks over, eyes widening.

"Are you ok there?" The man asks.

Sam winces, "Uh, yeah."

Isabeau holds an arm out toward Sam, "Thanks for your time."

Sam lifts his hands to his head again, "Yeah, thank you."

They turn to go, Isabeau and Dean supporting Sam.

"Ow. Yeah. God." Sam grunts out as Dean goes to open the passenger door.

Sam looks up and his world spins. Isabeau slides into the front seat, gesturing for Dean to set him in, "Bring him in before he collapses."

Dean follows Isabeau's orders and helps Sam into the front seat next to Isabeau. He closes the passenger door and runs to the driver's side, climbing in and driving off.

Isabeau cups Sam's face and looks into his eyes, "Sam… Sam." She caresses his cheeks with her thumbs and with a gasp he was back.

Isabeau sighs in relief, placing her forehead against Sam's, "You okay?"

Sam nods against her forehead, placing his hand on top of her own and gives her a weak smile, "I'm fine."

* * *

"Max is doing it. Everything I've been seeing." Sam says.

"You sure about this?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, I saw him." Sam places his hand back to his head.

"How's he pulling it off?"

"I don't know, it looked like telekinesis?"

"So he's psychic?" Isabeau asks.

"I didn't even realize it but this whole time, he was there. He was outside the garage when his Dad died, he was in the apartment when his Uncle died." Sam recalls.

"These visions, this whole time - I wasn't connecting to the Millers, I was connecting to Max! The thing is I don't get why, man. I guess - because we're so alike?" Sam questions.

Isabeau looks at him, confused, "What are you talking about? Max is nothing like you."

"Well. We both have psychic abilities, we both…"

"Both what? Sam, Max is a monster, he's already killed two people, now he's gunning for a third." Dean says.

"Well, with what he went through, the beatings, to want revenge on those people? I'm sorry, man, I hate to say it, but it's not that insane." Sam says.

Isabeau stares forward. She's done worse and that was when she was just when people threatened to hurt the people she loves. If anything, Max was a little better than she was.

Dean nods, "Yeah, but it doesn't justify murdering your entire family!"

"Dean…"

"He's no different from anything else we've hunted, all right? We gotta end him." Dean pulls over in front of Max's house.

Sam looks at him in disbelief, "We're not going to kill Max.

Dean looks over at Sam, "Then what? Hand him over to the cops and say 'Lock him up officer; he kills with the power of his mind.'"

Sam shakes his head, "Forget it. No way, man."

Dean turns off the engine, "Sam…"

Isabeau scoffs, "He's a person. We can talk to him." She sided with Sam on this one. If she could be talked down from her dark moments, then they can certainly try with Max.

"Hey, promise me you'll follow my lead on this one." Sam adds in.

After a long pause, Dean agrees, "All right fine. But I'm not letting him hurt anybody else."

Dean removes his Taurus pistol from the glove compartment, glaring at Sam and opening the door.

* * *

"You know I never did anything." Ms. Miller says, speaking to Max.

"That's right. You didn't do anything. You didn't stop them, not once!" Max cries as the knife on the cutting board shakes.

Isabeau, Sam and Dean burst through the front door.

"Fathers? Isabelle?" Ms. Miller asks in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Max asks them.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt." Dean says.

"Max, can we, uh, can we talk to you outside for just one second?" Sam asks as the three of them slowly step closer.

"About what?" Max asks,suspicious.

Sam smiles, "It's...it's private. I wouldn't want to bother your mother with it."

Isabeau steps to Ms. Miller, softly taking her arm. She was going to stay and make sure Ms. Miller was safe, "They won't be long at all though, I promise."

Max looks at his stepmother, then back, "Ok."

Sam glances at Isabeau, "Great."

Dean and Sam turn for the door, and Max follows. As Dean grasps the doorknob he turns back to smile at Max.

Max sees the butt of the pistol in Dean's waistband in the hall mirror. Suddenly, the knob is pulled from Dean's hand and the door slams shut, as does the wooden window blinds all around the room.

Isabeau instinctively puts herself in front of Ms. Miller as Max backs away from Sam and Dean, "You're not priests!"

Dean draws his gun, but Max uses his power to pull it away, sliding it across the floor to where he can pick it up. He holds it on Sam and Dean.

"Max, what's happening?" Ms. Miller asks from behind Isabeau.

"Shut up." Max exclaims.

"What are you doing?" Ms. Miller asks again.

Using his power, Max flings Ms. Miller and Isabeau backwards. They hit their head on the kitchen counter and fell to the ground unconscious.

Sam and Dean's eyes widen at Isabeau's unconscious figure, "Isabeau!" Dean exclaims.

"I said shut up!" Max yells out again.

Sam's eyes shift from Isabeau to Max, "Max, calm down."

"Who are you?"

"We just wanna talk to you." Sam says.

"Yeah right, that's why you bought this!" Max says, indicating the gun.

"That was a mistake, all right? So was lying about who we were, but no more lying Max, ok? Just, please, just hear me out." Sam tries his best to calm Max down.

"About what?"

Sam raises his hands in defense, "I saw you do it. I saw you kill your Dad and your Uncle before it happened."

"What?"

"I'm having visions, Max. About you." Sam explains.

"You're crazy."

"So you weren't gonna launch a knife at your stepmom?" Sam taps his eye, "Right here?" He glances over at Isabeau again; she was still unconscious.

"Is it that hard to believe, Max? Look what you can do. Max, I was drawn here, all right? I think I'm here to help you." Sam says.

Max cries, "No one can help me."

"Let me try. We'll just talk, me and you. We'll get Dean, Isabeau and Alice out of here." Sam tells him.

Dean shakes his head, "Unh-unh. No way."

Sam and Dean look up as the chandelier begins to shake.

"Nobody leaves this house!" Max tells them.

"And nobody has to, all right? They'll just...they'll just go upstairs." Sam says.

"Sam, I'm not leaving you alone with him." Dean says.

"Dean, listen to your brother." The boys turn their heads toward the kitchen. Isabeau is standing there, blood dripping down her forehead from where she hit her head. She looks up at the chandelier and raises her hand slightly, stopping it from shaking.

Max looks at her confused, "How?"

"Isabeau…" Dean starts.

Isabeau lets down her hand, leaning against the wall for support. Isabeau couldn't take on Max in her state. She was lucky that she was even standing with the throbbing pain in her head. Well, mostly standing.

Isabeau nods at Sam.

Sam nods back and turns to Max, "Look, Max. You're in charge here, all right, we all know that. No one's going to do anything that you don't want to do, but we're talking five minutes here, man."

"Sam!" Dean exclaims.

Max looks back at Sam and Dean, "Five minutes." He confirms. "Go."

Dean moves to Ms. Miller. She returned to consciousness and with the help of Dean, she was able to stand up on her own. Dean then moves to Isabeau.

Before he could help her, Max points the gun at him, "No! She stays! I wanna know how she did that." Max says, referring to her stopping the chandelier from shaking earlier.

Isabeau looks over at Dean who was glaring at Max, "Dean… go. I'll be fine."

Dean gives her one last look before heading upstairs with Ms. Miller.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Max sit in the lounge. Isabeau is sitting in an armchair next to Sam and both of them are across from Max who is sitting on the couch. Max stares at a letter opener and it raises on its point and begins twirling slowly.

Sam sighs, "Look, I can't begin to understand what you went through."

"That's right you can't." Max says, not looking at Sam.

"Max, this has to stop."

Max clenches his teeth, "It will, after my stepmother -"

Sam shakes his head, "No. You need to let her go."

"Why?"

"Did she beat you?" Isabeau asks softly. Her head was still throbbing from earlier.

"No, but she never tried to save me. She's a part of it too." Max says.

Isabeau nods, "What they did, to you, what they all did to you growing up, they deserve to be punished…"

Max looks over at her, "Growing up? Try last week."

Max gets up and lifts his shirt. His chest and side has masses of bruises. Isabeau looks away, disgusted. How could a parent do that to their child? It was sickening.

"My dad still hit me. Just in places people wouldn't see it. Old habits die hard I guess." Max says, putting his shirt back down and sits.

"I'm sorry." Isabeau says softly.

Max huffs, "When I first found out I could move things it was a gift. My whole life, I was helpless, but now I had this. So last week, Dad gets drunk. The first time in a long time. And he beats me to hell, the first time in a long time. And then I knew what I had to do."

Sam shakes his head, "Why didn't you just leave?"

The letter opener falls, causing Sam and Isabeau to flinch. Max shakes his head, "It wasn't about getting away. Just knowing they would still be out there. It was about...not being afraid. When my Dad used to look at me, there was hate in his eyes. Do you know what that feels like?"

"No." Tears welled up in Sam's eyes.

"He blamed me for everything. For his job, for his life, for my Mom's death."

Sam narrows his eyes, "Why would he blame you for your Mom's death?"

Max leans forward, "Because she died in my nursery, while I was asleep in my crib. As if that makes it my fault."

Isabeau turns her head back to them. Her and Sam look at each other shocked, "She died in your nursery?" Sam asks.

"There was a fire. And he'd get drunk and babble on like she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up. Pinned to the ceiling!" Max explains.

Isabeau stares at Sam and Max in shock as Sam speaks to Max. "Listen to me, Max. What your Dad said, about what happened to your Mom. It's real."

Max looks at him confused, "What?"

"It happened to my Mom too, exactly the same. My nursery, my crib, my Dad saw her on the ceiling." Sam says.

"Your Dad must have been as drunk as mine."

Sam shakes his head, "No, no. It's the same thing, Max. The same thing killed our mothers."

"That's impossible."

"This must be why I'm having visions during the day. Why they're getting more intense. Cause you and I must be connected in some way. Your abilities, they started 6-7 months ago right, out of the blue?" Sam asks.

"How'd you know that?"

Isabeau reaches down to play with her rosary, "Cause that's when his abilities started, Max." Max and Sam look over at her. "Yours seem to be much further along but still, this has to mean something right? I mean for some reason, you and Sam...you and Sam were chosen."

Max shakes his head, "What about you? You can do what I do."

Isabeau frowns, "No, Max. I'm not like you or Sam. I'm something else."

Max stares at her, taking in what she said, "Chosen… for what?"

Sam shakes his head, "I don't know. But Isabeau, Dean and I, us, we're hunting for your Mom's killer. We can find answers, answers that can help us both. But you gotta let us go Max. You gotta let your stepmother go."

Max thinks, then starts to shake his head, "No. What they did to me. I still have nightmares. I'm so scared all the time, like I'm just waiting for that next beating. I'm so sick of being scared all the time, I just want this to be over!"

Max walks away from the couch and Sam and Isabeau follow, stepping in front of him to stop him from going upstairs.

"It won't. Don't you get it? The nightmares won't end, Max. Not like this. It's just more pain. And it makes you as bad as them. Max, you don't have to go through all this by yourself." Sam explains.

Max's lip quivers, "I'm sorry."

Max uses his powers to fling Sam backwards into the hall closest and slam the door. "No!" Sam screams out.

Max looks across and a tall, heavy, hallway bookshelf slides in front of the doors, blocking them.

Sam bangs on the doors, "No. Max!"

Max looks over at Isabeau who fought back his powers and was able to keep herself in place.

"Get out of my way." Max tells her.

Isabeau's eyes slightly flicker violet. She still wasn't strong enough, "Gotta go through me, Max."

Max pulls out Dean's gun from his pocket and points it at her, "Sorry."

He cocks the gun and fires it. The gunshot echoes throughout the house and Sam hears a body fall to the floor.

Sam hears Max slowly walk up the stairs and he starts banging at the door, "Beau! Isabeau!" Tears fell down his face.

He freezes when he hears a weak chuckle from outside, "I'm good, Sam." She takes a breath, "Could be better though."

* * *

Ms. Miller sits on the bed as Dean crouches beside her, holding a facecloth to her bleeding forehead.

The door creaks open on its own and Max walks in. Dean rises and moves purposefully toward Max as the door closes behind him.

Max sends Dean flying and he crashes into the wall.

Ms. Miller turns to Max, "Max!"

Max raises Dean's pistol, his hand shaking.

"Son of a…" Dean stands up and freezes when he sees the gun. Dean begins to walk toward Max, but stops when Max lets go of the gun, leaving it floating in mid air.

It cocks, then turns to point at Ms. Miller, but Dean steps in its way.

"Stay back. This is not about you." Max warns him.

"You wanna kill her, you gotta go through me first." Dean tells him.

"Ok."

The gun fires and blood splatters over the wall.

Dean wavers and crashes heavily to the ground with a bullet-hole in the middle of his forehead, and eyes blank.

* * *

Sam comes back to himself, gasping and holding his head and realizing it was a vision.

"No. NOOO!" Sam screams out panicked.

The bookcase in front of the closet doors slides away. Sam freezes, then pushes the door with his hand. It swings open.

Sam steps out, seeing Isabeau sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall. She was clutching her left shoulder, blood covered her shoulder completely and her hand as well.

"Isabeau!" Sam crouches down next to her, but she pushes him away with her bloodied hand, "Go! I'm fine! Get to Dean!"

Sam hesitates, but nods running up the stairs.

Once Sam is away from her sight, she pulls out a bandana from inside her jacket, "This is going to hurt like a bitch."

She bites down on the material and with a flick of her wrist, the bullet that was lodged in her shoulder, flies out and lands on the ground.

Her scream of pain was muffled by the material. She pulls it out of her mouth, throwing it aside and clutches her shoulder again, "Bullet number five."

It was the fifth time she's been shot and didn't die. Thank god for that.

* * *

In the upstairs bedroom, the gun, in midair, turns to point at Ms. Miller.

Ms. Miller shakes her head in fear, "Max... No."

Dean steps in front of her and the gun turns to point at him.

"Stay back. It's not about you." Max warns him.

"You're going to kill her, you gotta go through me first." Dean tells him.

"Ok." Max says.

The door bursts open and Sam comes in, "No don't! Don't! Please. Please. Max. Max, we can help you. All right. But this, what you're doing. It's not the solution. It's not gonna fix anything."

Max is a mess; he is shaking, sweaty, and in tears. He stares at Sam, anguished.

Suddenly, he relaxes a little, his face clears, "You're right."

Sam smiles at him, but Max turns away from him, as the gun swings to point at Max. He shoots himself in the head.

"NO!"

* * *

Everybody was downstairs in the lounge. Ms. Miller is sitting on the couch, in shock, "Max attacked me. He threatened me with a gun."

"And these three?" The cop indicates Sam, Dean and Isabeau. Isabeau's shoulder was patched up and had bandages wrapped around it. Her forehead was cleaned up as well and the throbbing stopped a little while ago.

Ms. Miller looks over at them, "They're...family friends. I called them soon as Max arrived, I was scared. They tried to stop him. They fought for the gun."

"Where did Max get the gun?" The cop asks.

Isabeau, Sam and Dean exchange looks.

Ms. Miller begins to cry and looks at the ceiling, "I don't know. He showed up with it and…" She breaks down.

"It's all right, Ms Miller." The cop tells her.

"I've lost everyone." Ms. Miller sobs.

The cop looks over at the three, "We'll give you a call if we have any further questions."

"Thanks officer." Dean pats Sam's arm and very carefully, leads Isabeau out, "Come on."

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean walk down the path of the house.

"If I'd just said something else. Gotten through to him somehow." Sam says.

"Ah, don't do that." Dean says.

"Do what?" Sam asks.

Isabeau winces, trying to put on her jacket, "Torture yourself. It wouldn't have mattered what you said, Max was too far gone."

"When I think about how he looked at me, right before. I shoulda done something." Sam shakes his head.

"Come on man, you risked your life. Isabeau, risked her life. I mean yeah, maybe if we had gotten there 20 years earlier." Dean tells him.

Sam moves to the passenger side, and Dean and Isabeau stand at the driver's side of the impala.

Sam sighs, "Well I'll tell you one thing. We're lucky we had Dad."

Dean looks at him astounded and pleased, "Well I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Well, it coulda gone a whole other way after Mom. A little more tequila and a little less demon hunting and we would've had Max's childhood. All things considered, we turned out ok. Thanks to him." Sam says.

Dean turns back to look at Max's house, "All things considered."

Isabeau grunts in pain as she still tries to put on her jacket.

Dean frowns at her, "Give me that." Dean takes the jacket out of her hands and gestures for her to turn around.

"Always getting yourself hurt, sweetheart." Dean says as he carefully helps Isabeau put on her jacket.

Isabeau chuckles, "I wouldn't be me if I didn't get hurt at least once on a hunt."

Sam shakes his head, "I thought he killed you Isabeau. He had the perfect shot."

Isabeau gives him a lopsided grin, "Had a little bit of juice still in me. Couldn't fully direct the bullet away from me, but I'll take a shoulder wound."

"How about no bullet wounds?"

Isabeau laughs, "Stretch, when I don't get a bullet wound from a hunt and come out alive from it, I know I'm doing something wrong."

She turns when Dean fully helps her get her jacket on and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Dean smiles at her as she slides into the front seat.

Dean and Sam get into the car as well and drive back off to their motel.

"Besides, fifth time the charm."

"Fifth?!"

* * *

Sam places a bag in the trunk of the impala, which is backed up to the door, and returns inside, "Dean I've been thinking."

Dean walks by him, "Well that's never a good thing."

Isabeau looks up from one of the beds, staring at the both of them packing their bags. She already packed her bag with the help from both boys, so she waited for them by putting some of that paste she made for speeding up the heal time for wounds.

It would take at least a couple of days to half-a-week for it to heal completely, but at least she won't have to wait for weeks.

"I'm serious. I've been thinking, this demon, whatever it is. Why would it kill Mom, and Jessica, and Max's mother, you know? What does it want?" Sam questions.

Dean shakes his head, "I have no idea."

"Well, you think, maybe, it was after us? After Max and me?"

Dean looks over, "Why would you think that?"

Isabeau stands up from the spot on the bed and walks over to them, not bothering to rewrap her shoulder, "I mean, either telekinesis or premonitions, they both had abilities, you know? Maybe he was, he was after them for some reason." She puts in her two cents.

"Isabeau. If it had wanted them, it would've just taken them." Dean turns to Sam again, "Ok? This is not your fault, it's not about you." He tells him.

"Then what is it about?" Sam asks.

"It's about that damn thing that did this to our family. The thing that we're gonna find, the thing that we're gonna kill. And that's all." Dean says.

"What about, Beau?" Sam asks.

Isabeau sighs, "Whatever this thing is, my family has got something to do with it. And Dad thinks that as long as I stick with you guys, I'm safe."

Dean sighs, "Is he sure about that?"

Isabeau nods, "He's I'm a lot safer with you guys than I am with him or at home. I don't know why it's after me though. I was born a hybrid, nothing to do with demons. That's it." That was a lie. Her uncle was one. Though that part of the bloodline didn't go to her or her brothers.

Sam pauses, "Actually there's uh ... there's something else too."

"Ah jeez what?" Dean asks.

"When Max locked me in that closet, with that big cabinet against the door ... I moved it." Sam clears his throat..

"Huh. You got a little more upper body strength than I gave you credit for." Dean jokes.

"No man, I moved it. Like, Max. Like, Isabeau." Sam tells him.

Dean pauses gathering his clothes and stands still, "Oh."

Dean nods, "Right." He says softly.

"Yeah."

Dean picks up a spoon, "Bend this."

Isabeau rolls her eyes, walking away to put her paste and other little things in her bag.

Sam looks at him frustrated, "I can't just turn it on and off Dean."

"Well how'd you do it?"

"I don't know, I can't control it. I just...I saw you die and it just came out of me, like a... like a punch. You know like...a freak adrenaline thing." Sam explains.

Isabeau nods, "Emotions are the roots of all magic and psychic abilities." She looks back at them, "Makes sense."

Dean throws the spoon down, "Yeah, well, I'm sure it won't happen again." He shoves his clothes in his bags.

"Yeah, maybe. Aren't you worried, man? Aren't you worried I could turn into Max or something?" Sam asks Dean.

Dean shakes his head, "Nope. No way. You know why?"

Sam scoffs, "No. Why?"

"Cause you got one advantage Max didn't have."

"Dad? Because Dad's not here, Dean." Sam says.

Dean throws on his leather jacket, "No. Us." Dean smirks, gesturing to himself and Isabeau, "As long as we're around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you."

Sam does the puppy dog look and a tiny smile. Isabeau silently awes at how cute Sam looks when he does his puppy dog look.

Dean walks over to Isabeau with his bag, places it down next her and starts re-wrapping her shoulder, "Now then. I know what we need to do about your premonitions. I know where we have to go." He tells Sam while patching up Isabeau.

"Where?" Sam asks.

Dean finishes up Isabeau's bandages, helps her put on her jacket and picks up his and Isabeau's bag, moving towards Sam.

"Vegas." Dean deadpans.

Dean grins at Sam.

Sam tilts his head, looks away, looks back, does a bitch-face and walks out the door with his bag to the impala with a scoff.

"What? Come on man. Craps tables. We'd clean up!" Dean says.

Isabeau shakes her head, following Sam with a laugh.

Dean follows Isabeau to the door and pauses on the threshold. He considers Sam, looking very thoughtful, then turns to pull the door closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this one out! I took like a day break and went down to the lake near my home and got burnt. Yay!
> 
> Anyway, I'm happy that I got this done. I went back and forth with a lot of ideas for this episode, but I'm happy with what I came up with. And it's wonderful seeing everyone's comments! I brings me absolute joy to read them and encourages me everyday to write. Thank you guys so much! Also... only 8 more episodes (16 more chapters) and then season 1 of this series is over. Meaning sometime next week, expect this ending and season 2 starting right after.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed!


	33. The Benders Pt.1

Isabeau, Dean and Sam are dressed as sheriffs, standing in a living room, talking to a boy and his mother.

"I know you're just doing your job, but the police have been here all week already. I don't see why we have to go through this again. The more he tells the story, the more he believes it's true." Mrs. McKay tells them.

"Mrs. McKay," All three of them take off their hats. "We know you spoke with the local authorities." Sam says.

"But, uh, this seems like a matter for the state police, so…." Dean says.

Isabeau looks over at the boy, "Don't worry about how crazy it sounds, Evan. You just tell us what you saw."

Evan sighs, "I was up late, watching TV. When I heard this... weird noise."

"What did it sound like?" Isabeau asks.

"It sounded like….a monster." Evan says. Isabeau, Dean and Sam exchange a look.

"Tell the officers what you were watching on TV." Mrs. McKay tells her son.

"Um… Godzilla Vs. Mothra."

Dean smiles, excited, "That's my favorite Godzilla movie. It's so much better than the original, huh?"

Evan nods, "Totally."

Isabeau smiles at the interaction between Dean and Evan.

"Yeah." Dean nods towards Sam, "He likes the remake."

"Yuck!"

Sam glares at Dean and clears his throat. Dean looks over and stops.

"Evan, did you see what this thing was?" Sam asks him.

Evan shakes his head, "No. But I saw it grab Mr. Jenkins. It pulled him underneath the car."

"Then what?"

"It took him away. I heard the monster leaving. It made this really scary sound."

Isabeau tilts her head, "What did it sound like, Evan?"

"Like this…whining growl."

Isabeau, Sam and Dean exchange another look. "Thanks for your time." Sam says.

* * *

They headed to Kugel's Keg, a bar in town, that night. Sam is having a beer at a table, looking at research while Dean and Isabeau are nearby, taking turns in throwing darts.

"So, local police have now ruled out foul play. Apparently, there were signs of a struggle." Sam says.

Dean looks back as Isabeau throws a dart, "Well, they could be right, it could just be a kidnapping. Maybe this isn't our kind of gig." He turns back, throwing his own dart.

"Yeah, maybe not." Sam shakes his head, "Except for this, Dad marked the area, Dean." Dean and Isabeau come to the table and look at John's journal. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker."

"Why would he even do that?" Isabeau asks, taking a sip of her beer.

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this, too. This county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state."

"That is weird." Dean says as he moves back to the dart board and Isabeau takes a seat across from Sam.

"Yeah." Sam agrees.

"Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds? Jenkins was taken from a parking lot." Isabeau asks.

Sam purses his lips, "Well, there are all kinds. You know, Spring Heeled Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime. Look, guys, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either."

"Yeah, you're right, we should ask around more tomorrow." Dean agrees.

"Right." Sam takes out his wallet, "I saw a motel about five miles back."

Dean looks back, "Whoa, whoa, easy. Let's have another round."

Isabeau shakes her head, turning to Dean, "I would love another round but, we should get an early start."

"Yeah, you really know how to have fun, don't you, sweetheart?" Isabeau gives him a playful glare. Sam chuckles with a smile.

"Alright, I'll meet you outside, I gotta take a leak." Dean throws his last dart at the board, grabs his coat and heads to the bathroom.

Isabeau chuckles, "I'll meet you out there with Dean."

Sam raises a brow at her with a smile, "You sure?"

Isabeau nods, gesturing him closer with her finger, "Parting gift?"

He chuckles, following her gesture and leans down, "I'll be away from you for five minutes."

Isabeau smiles, "It'll be the longest five minutes of my life." She says playfully.

Sam snorts, placing a kiss on her cheek, "You'll survive."

Isabeau drops her jaw, "Oh you're gonna get it one of these days, Stretch."

"I'll be waiting." Sam gathers his research and leaves.

* * *

Sam is walking back to the car. He hears a noise and stops.

He places the journal on the hood of the car and takes out a flashlight from his coat pocket. He turns it on and looks around, then bends down to look under the car. He sees a cat, which hisses at him then runs away.

"Whoa!" Sam laughs at himself when he sees the cat. He gets up, shaking his head, then waits by the car.

* * *

Minutes later Dean and Isabeau come out of the bar. Dean has his arm wrapped around Isabeau's side, and both walk to the car.

They see that Sam is missing, and notices the journal on the hood. Isabeau frowns, "Sam?" She pulls away from Dean and opens the car door to check to see if Sam is inside, but he isn't there.

They look around, confused.

A group of people come out of the bar. Isabeau and Dean walk up to a biker and his girlfriend, who are clearly drunk.

"Hey, you guys been outside, around here in the last hour or so?" Isabeau asks.

The couple shake their head and walk away.

"Sam!" Isabeau calls out as her and Dean look around frantically.

"Sammy!" Dean yells out. He turns around and notices a surveillance camera on top of a streetlight.

Isabeau and Dean walk into the middle of the deserted road and look around, "Sam." They call out in unison.

* * *

Isabeau and Dean stand in the Sheriff's Department. A deputy, Kathleen, is looking at Dean and Isabeau fake IDs.

"So, what can we do for you, Officer Washington? Officer Fitzgerald?" Dean glances at Isabeau in question. Why did she have a fake police badge with her real name?

"We're working a missing persons." Isabeau says as they shove their IDs in their pockets.

Kathleen shakes her head, "I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police."

Dean shakes his head as well, "Oh, no. No, there's someone else. Actually, it's our cousin. We were havin' a few last night at this bar down by the highway. And we haven't seen him since."

Kathleen purses her lips, "Does your cousin have a drinking problem?"

"Sam?" Dean scoffs, "Two beers and he's doin' karaoke."

Kathleen smiles.

Isabeau sighs, "No, he wasn't drunk. He was taken." She reaches down to play with her rosary. She should've gone with Sam last night. They wouldn't be in this position.

Kathleen nods, "Alright. What's his name?" She goes and sits down at her computer. Isabeau and Dean follow her. Dean gestures for Isabeau to take the chair and Isabeau reluctantly takes it. Dean stands behind her, placing his hands on the back of the chair.

"Winchester. Sam Winchester." Dean tells her.

"Like the rifle?" Kathleen asks.

Isabeau nods, "Like the rifle."

Kathleen types Sam's name in the computer and brings up his police record. She observes his page, then clicks on Dean's link, "Samuel Winchester. So, you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. And, uh, was suspected of murder."

Isabeau nods as Dean tries to look nonchalant, "Yeah, Dean." He chuckles, "Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though."

Isabeau smiles faintly. He sure is handsome.

Kathleen gives him a look, "Uh-huh." She types something else and brings up more search results on the computer, "Well, he's not showing up in any current field reports."

Dean nods, "Oh, we already have a lead. I saw a surveillance camera by the highway."

"Uh-huh. The county traffic cam?"

"Right. Yeah. I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took him. Or, whoever."

Kathleen takes a breath, "Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but..well, anyhow, let's do this the right way."

She stands up and gets some paperwork from a filing cabinet, "Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over here?" She hands Isabeau a clipboard as she stands.

Isabeau sighs, "Officer, look, uh, he's family. We kind of... we kind of look out for him. You gotta let us go with you."

Kathleen shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

"Well, tell me something. Your county has its fair share of missing persons. Any of 'em come back?" Isabeau asks.

Kathleen looks down at her question.

Dean takes the clipboard from Isabeau, "Sam's my responsibility. And he's comin' back. We're bringin' him back."

Kathleen stares at them.

* * *

In an unknown location, Sam is asleep in a cage.

He jerks awake with a gasp and observes his surroundings. He gets up from the ground, not being able to stand up fully because of how low the top of the cage is.

Sam rattles the bars of the cage and he looks around, noticing Jenkins asleep in a cage next to his.

* * *

Outside the County Works Department, Dean and Isabeau are sitting on a bench outside. Kathleen comes up behind them, holding printouts of the camera footage.

"Greg. Isabeau." She calls out Dean's fake name that they gave her and Isabeau's real one. They see her and stand up.

"I think we've got something." She hands them the printouts and they look through them. "These traffic cams take an image every three seconds, as part of the Amber Alert program. These images were all taken around the time that your cousin, Sam, disappeared."

"This really isn't what we're looking for." Isabeau tells her.

"Just wait, wait. Next one." Kathleen tells her. Isabeau turns the page and sees an image of a rusty truck driving.

"This one was taken right after Sam left the bar. Look at the back end of that thing. Now, look at the plates." Isabeau turns another page and sees a close-up image of the truck's license plates.

Dean blinks, "The plates look new. It's probably stolen."

Kathleen nods, "So, whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved."

A beat-up van drives by. Its engine is whining loudly. Dean watches it go, "Hear that engine?"

"Yeah." Kathleen says.

"Kind of a whining growl, isn't it?"

"Sure."

Isabeau stares at the van as it drives away, "I'll be damned." She says to herself.

* * *

Sam is trying to kick down the door of his cage, but he fails, falling to the ground.

Jenkins groans and wakes up.

Sam rushes over to talk to him through the bars of their cages, "You're alive?"

Jenkins groans again.

"Hey, you okay?" Sam asks again.

"Does it look like I'm doin' okay?" Jenkins asks sarcastically.

"Where are we?" Sam asks.

Jenkins shakes his head, "I don't know. The country, I think. Smells like the country."

"You're Alvin Jenkins, aren't you?"

Jenkins nods, "Yeah."

Sam sighs, "I was lookin' for ya."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." Sam confirms.

"Well, no offense, but this is a piss-poor rescue."

Sam sighs, "Well, my brother and girlfriend out there right now, too. They're lookin' for us. So—" He realized that he just referred to Isabeau as his girlfriend. He didn't know how good that sounded until he said it out-loud. He was getting closer and closer to being ready for their relationship to become official.

"So, they're not gonna find us. We're in the middle of nowhere." Jenkins nods towards the door leading into the building, "Waiting for them to come back and do God-knows-what to us."

"What are they? Have you seen them?" Sam asks.

Jenkins looks at him like he's crazy, "What are you talking about?"

"Whatever's got us, what'd they look like?"

Chains rattle from the outside.

Jenkins backs away from his cage door, "See for yourself."

The door to the building opens and two men wearing black coats and hats walk in. One man walks over to Jenkins' cage and hits the side of it. Jenkins immediately moves back into the corner.

The other man goes to a panel of buttons attached to a pole in the middle of the room. He inserts a key into the panel and twists it and Jenkins' cage unlocks. The men enter.

"Leave me alone! Don't you touch me, leave me alone!" Jenkins yells at them.

The men place a plate of food in front of Jenkins. They leave the cage. One hits the side of Sam's cage as the other walks over to the panel. One of the men twists the key again and removes it, which locks the cage.

They leave, and Jenkins devours his food.

"I'll be damned. They're just people." Sam says to himself.

"Yeah. What'd you expect?" Jenkins asks.

"How often do they feed you?"

"Once a day. And they use that thing over there to open the cage." Jenkins points to the panel.

"And that's the only time you see 'em?" Sam asks.

"So far. But I'm waitin'."

Sam gets up, walking to the door of his cage, "Waitin' for what?"

"Ned Beatty time, man."

Sam scoffs, "I think that's the least of your worries right now."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think they want, then?" Jenkins asks.

Sam reaches through the top of his cage and grabs a long metal wire stretching from the top of the pole to the ground. He tries to pull it down, "Depends on who they are."

"They're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks, if you ask me. Lookin' for love in all the wrong places." Jenkins says as Sam continues to pull on the wire. It gradually starts to detach from the pole.

* * *

The three are driving in the sheriff's car. Kathleen is driving, Dean is in the passenger seat and Isabeau is in the back.

Kathleen points to a passing traffic camera, "Okay, the next traffic cam is fifty miles from here, and the pickup didn't pass that one, so…."

"So, it must've pulled off somewhere. I didn't see any other roads here." Isabeau says, looking down at the pictures from the traffic cams.

"Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads." Kathleen explains.

"Great." Dean says annoyed and stares out the window.

New information comes up on Kathleen's computer. She clicks the highlighted item and brings up a page about Dean's fake ID and Isabeau as well. She reads it and looks concerned and also a bit confused.

"So, Gregory… Isabeau."

Dean turns to look at her, "Yeah?"

Isabeau looks up, and hums in response.

"I ran your badge number. It's routine when we're working a case with state police. For accounting purposes and what have you." Kathleen explains.

Dena nods with a hum, "Mm-hmm."

"And, uh, they just got back to me." She pulls the car over to the side of the road, "It says here your badge was stolen, Gregory."

Dean looks surprised and Isabeau plays with her rosary.

"And there's a picture of you." She turns the computer to Dean and Isabeau. They see a picture of a heavy African-American man.

"I lost some weight." Dean chuckles, "And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease."

Kathleen takes off her seat-belt, "Okay, would you step out of the car, please?"

Isabeau stops her, "Look, look, look." Kathleen stops. "If you wanna arrest him, that's fine. He'll cooperate, I swear." Dean gives her a look.

"But, first, please—let us find Sam."

"I don't even know who he is, officer. Or if this Sam person is missing." Kathleen addresses Isabeau as an officer. Isabeau was thanking god that she had help from her friend in Sioux Falls.

Dean sighs, "Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this."

"Identity theft? You're impersonating an officer." Kathleen says.

"Look, here's the thing. When we were young, I pretty much pulled him from a fire. And ever since then, I've felt responsible for him. Like it's my job to keep him safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find him fast—please." Dean's voice breaks, "He's my family."

Isabeau frowns at Dean. All she wanted to was comfort him, but doing that would blow her cover as well.

Kathleen shakes her head, "I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in."

She glances at her visor. Her eye catches a photo of her and another man, smiling. She looks sad and sighs, "After we find Sam Winchester." She fastens her seatbelt.

Dean looks confused and Isabeau sighs in relief.

Kathleen begins to drive, "Though I'm confused on why an officer would allow this beforehand." Kathleen glances at Isabeau.

Isabeau huffs, "No offense officer, but Sam is very special to me… both him and this guy." She gestures to Dean.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost them. And I'm willing to pay any price to keep both of them safe."

* * *

Sam is still trying to pull the metal coil from the beam.

"What's your name, again?" Jenkins asks.

Sam grunts as he still pulls, "It's Sam."

"Why don't you give it up, Sammy? There's no way out."

"Don't….call me….Sammy!" He groans, falling to the floor of his cage and finally tears the coil down. A small piece of metal falls on the floor too.

"What is it?"

Sam picks it up and looks at it, "It's a bracket."

"Well, thank God, a bracket. Now we've got 'em, huh?"

Suddenly, Jenkins' cage unlocks itself and opens, "Must've been short."

He climbs out of the cage, "Maybe you knocked somethin' loose."

"I think you should get back in there, Jenkins." Sam tells him.

"What?"

Sam shakes his head, "This isn't right."

"Don't you wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah. But that was too easy."

Jenkins turns to Sam, "Look, I'm gonna get out of here, and I'm gonna send help, okay, don't worry."

"No, I'm serious. Jenkins—this might be a trap." Sam tells him.

"Bye, Sammy." Jenkins pushes open the door and leaves.

"Jenkins!" Sam calls out as Jenkins leaves.

On the other side of the door, Jenkins is in another room similar to the one he just left. He finds an exit and leaves. In the other room, Jenkins' cage slams shut.

Minutes later, Sam looks up in fear as he hears Jenkins screaming. He just hopes that Isabeau and Dean find him in time.


	34. The Benders Pt.2

Isabeau, Dean and Kathleen are walking down the street, and back to the car, holding cups of coffee. Well, Isabeau had tea instead of coffee.

"Hey, Officer? Look, I don't mean to press my luck." Dean says.

"Your luck is _so_ pressed." Kathleen says.

"Right. I was wondering—why are you helping us out, anyway? Why don't you just lock me up?" Dean asks.

Kathleen sighs, "My brother, Riley, disappeared three years ago. A lot like Sam. We searched for him, but—nothing. I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone, and for them—Come on. Let's keep at it." She gets in the car.

Isabeau and Dean exchange a look and Isabeau shrugs taking a sip of her drink.

* * *

The three drive by the edge of the forest and Isabeau speaks up, "Wait, wait, wait. Pull over here. Pull over."

They pull over and get out of the car, then walk towards the forest. "It's the first turn-off I've seen so far." Isabeau says.

"You stay here, we'll check it out." Kathleen says to Dean. Isabeau looks at her in surprise when she includes her.

"No way."

"Hey." They stop walking. "You're a civilian. And a felon, I think. I'm not taking you with me." Kathleen shakes her head.

Dean glances at Isabeau who shrugs at him in defeat, "You're not goin' without me."

Kathleen sighs, "Alright. You promise you won't get involved? You'll let us handle it?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Shake on it." She extends her hand.

Dean shakes it and while they are shaking hands, Kathleen places a set of handcuffs on Dean's arm.

Isabeau muffles a laugh into her arm.

"Oh, come on." Dean says.

* * *

Kathleen handcuffs Dean to the door handle and starts walking away. Isabeau stays in her place watching Kathleen.

"This is ridiculous. Kathleen, I really think you're gonna need my help." Dean looks over his shoulder.

"I'll manage. Thank you." She locks the door and looks at Isabeau, "You coming?"

Isabeau nods, "Just give me a minute. I'll catch up."

Kathleen nods and walks away.

Dean turns to her, gesturing down to the handcuffs, "Isabeau, help me out here."

Isabeau smirks and gives him a kiss on the cheek, "We'll be fine, Dearie." She walks away, catching up to Kathleen.

Dean sighs, "Beau!... I gotta start carrying paper clips."

* * *

Isabeau and Kathleen are walking down the road.

They pass a rundown barn, along with several wagon wheels strewn along the grass. They walk further and see a dilapidated house.

Isabeau glances and sees the same car from the traffic cams. Isabeau licks her lips, stopping, "I'm gonna take a look around back."

Kathleen nods at her and the two separate. Kathleen heads to the front of the house, while Isabeau makes her way to the back with the woods behind her.

Kathleen disappears from Isabeau's sight as he makes her way to the front porch and climbs up the stairs.

Isabeau looks around and places her hand on one of the trees. She holds her head in pain as they scream at her.

_Run!_

_Run. Mother!_

_Danger lurks here! Run!_

Isabeau shakes her head and removes her hand. She makes her way back to the front where Kathleen is waiting for her.

"Anything?" Kathleen asks as Isabeau makes her way up the stairs.

Isabeau shakes her head and she knocks on the door. A young girl comes outside, covered in dirt and filth. She is unwashed and has long, uncombed hair.

Isabeau tilts her head at the girl, "Hi. Who are you?"

The girl comes closer and examines Kathleen's badge, "Who are _you_?" She asks

"I'm, uh, I'm Kathleen. I'm a deputy. This is Isabeau. What's your name?" Kathleen asks.

"Missy."

Isabeau nods, "Missy. That's a pretty name. Missy, is your mom home?"

"She's dead."

Kathleen pauses, "I'm sorry. What about your dad?"

Missy shakes her head.

"No? Can we come in for a minute?" Kathleen asks.

Missy shakes her head again and starts moving towards the door.

Isabeau nods her head, "I just want you to look at a picture." She takes a picture of Sam from her coat pocket and shows it to Missy, "Have you seen that guy? Look at that picture."

Missy looks up and sees something behind Kathleen and Isabeau. She smiles wickedly.

"What?" Kathleen asks.

"That's gonna hurt."

Isabeau and Kathleen turn around and see a tall, equally unwashed man, standing beside them. He hits them in the head with a shovel, and they fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Missy, sweetheart, go tell your brothers I wanna see 'em." The man tells Missy.

"Yes, Daddy." Missy walks away.

* * *

Isabeau wakes up with a groan, rubbing the back of her head, "Mother fucker."

"Beau!" She hears Sam call out to her. Sam watches as she slowly moves. He could feel his heart racing in worry. The second they stepped through the door and threw her into one of the empty cages, he's been pounding at the cage to get out.

Isabeau sits up, looking around and realizing she's in a cage. She looks over and sees Sam looking at her through his own cage. "Sam." She sighs in relief. She also notices that they took her leather jacket and plaid shirt, but leaving the rest of her clothes. She was thankful that they didn't take her rosary.

"You okay?" He asks worried.

She nods, and moves to the side of the cage near Sam, "Please tell me they didn't do anything to you."

Sam chuckles at her, "They didn't do anything to me. Just… are you okay?"

Isabeau nods slowly, "I'm fine. Just a shovel to the head."

Kathleen wakes up in her cage. She is wearing a dirty white T-shirt, and her hair is down. She groans, massaging her head.

"You alright?" Sam asks.

"Are you Sam Winchester?

"Yeah."

"Your, uh, your cousin's looking for you." Kathleen tells him.

Sam lets out a sigh of relief, his brother was here too, "Thank God. Where is he?"

Isabeau scoffs, "She cuffed him to her car."

Sam sighs.

The door opens and Dean enters, but Isabeau, Kathleen and Sam don't know it is him. DEAN observes the barn, disgusted.

He walks over and sees Sam in his cage, "Sam?" Sam smiles. "Are you hurt?"

Sam shakes his head, "No."

Dean smiles, "Damn, it's good to see you." His smile drops, "Where's Isabeau?"

Isabeau chuckles, leaning against her cage, "Over here, Dearie."

Dean looks over and walks to her cage, "I thought you said you'd be fine?"

Isabeau shrugs sheepishly, "Guess I lied. Sorry."

Dean shakes his head, "You can make it up to me when I get you out of here."

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" Kathleen asks.

Dean turns around and sees her, "Oh, I know a trick or two." Kathleen stares at him, confused.

"Alright." Dean moves to the door of the cage and sees the locks, "Oh, these locks look like they're gonna be a bitch."

"Well, there's some kind of automatic control right there." Sam points to the control panel.

Dean looks at the control panel, "Have you seen 'em?"

"Yeah. Dude, they're just people."

"And they jumped you?" Dean glances at Isabeau, "Both of you? Must be gettin' a little rusty there, kiddo." He tells Sam as he walks over to the control panel, "What do they want?"

Sam shakes his head, "I don't know. They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me."

Dean starts trying different buttons, "Well, that's the point. You know, with our usual playmates, there's rules, there's patterns. But with people, they're just crazy."

"See anything else out there?" Isabeau asks. She looks around the cage. The openings were too small to turn into a ball of fire, but maybe if she tried something else… it could work.

"Uh, he has about a dozen junked cars hidden out back. Plates from all over, so I'm thinkin' when they take someone, they take their car, too."

"Did you see a black Mustang out there? About ten years old?" Kathleen asks him.

Dean nods, "Yeah, actually, I did."

She looks down sadly.

"Your brother's?"

She nods.

"I'm sorry." He pauses, "Let's get you guys out of here, then we'll take care of those bastards." Dean points to the control panel, "This thing takes a key. Key?"

"I don't know." Sam shakes his head.

"Alright, I better go find it." Dean goes to leave.

"Wait! Dean!" Isabeau calls out.

Dean turns, "What?"

Isabeau backs up to the wall of her cage, her eyes glowing a light violet, "I'm coming with you." She launches herself from the wall and mid-step, she turns into a bolt of lightning that flies through one of the holes in the cage.

With a crack, Isabeau reforms to her body and lands on the ground, her eyes still glowing a light violet, "Holy shit, that worked?"

Dean helps her up and looks at her in shock, "You didn't know if that was going to work?"

Isabeau's eyes stop glowing, "Hey, it worked."

Sam smiles at her in awe. She never ceases to amaze him. Kathleen stares at her in shock; what the hell was she?

"Hey." Dean and Isabeau turn to Sam. "Be careful." Sam tells them.

Dean nods, "Yeah." The two of them leave.

* * *

Isabeau and Dean are in the basement of the house. Dean turns on his flashlight while Isabeau ignites her hand in flames and the two start to look around. The room is filled with shelves of jars and bottles, which contain various body parts.

Dean looks at a container filled with an unrecognizable item, "Yikes." They keep searching the room and come across a wall full of Polaroid pictures. Each photo shows two men standing next to a dead body. Isabeau notices a picture of them holding Jenkins' corpse, "I'll say it again—demons I get. People are crazy." Dean nods at her in agreement.

They move to a flight of stairs and climb them.

Dean and Isabeau come upstairs. Dean puts away his flashlight and Isabeau extinguishes her flames. As they walk by the kitchen, they see Pa Bender, butchering something.

Distracted, Dean walks into a wind chime that seems to be made out of human bones. Isabeau's eyes widen at Dean. Dean looks back and shrugs at her sheepishly.

They walk into the living room and look around, a record is playing in the background, as they do so.

Dean sees a wooden pole leaning against the wall and picks it up. They lean against the wall and make their way toward the kitchen. Isabeau stops when she sees an outlet and gets an idea.

She taps Dean on the shoulder and points to the outlet. Dean looks at her confused.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, points to herself and then to the outlet, implying that she travels through the electricity in the house to check out the rest of the rooms.

Dean nods at her implication. She gives him a thumbs up and touches the outlet. The second she does, her body turns into tendrils of electricity and flies into the outlet, leaving Dean all alone.

Dean sighs and turns away. He freezes when he notices a small tray filled with keys, on a nearby table. He mentally kicks himself. The keys were right there, Isabeau didn't have to do what she did.

Dean takes a peek inside the kitchen. Pa turns around to pick up another tool, and Dean turns away.

Dean moves towards the tray of keys, and starts to pick it up when he notices a jar full of teeth. He examines it, disgusted, then hears the floor creak behind him. He sets the jar down and turns around quickly. Missy is standing before him.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." Dean steps toward her.

Missy holds up a knife, "I know." She sticks the knife into Dean's jacket, pinning him against the wall, "Daddy!"

"Jeez!"

"Daddy!" Missy calls out again.

Dean removes the knife as Jared and Lee come downstairs.

"Daddy!"

Jared grabs Dean under his arms. Lee walks towards them, but Dean jumps up and kicks him.

Jared throws Dean into the wall, causing the knife to fall to the floor. Lee runs towards Dean, but Dean grabs him first and pushes him to the ground. He then punches Jared, but is thrown into the wall again by Lee. All three of them stand up.

Dean points to Jared, "I'm gonna kick your ass first."

He points to Lee, "Then yours."

Pa comes up behind Dean and hits him over the head with a pan. Dean falls to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

The Benders are crowded around Dean, who is sitting in a chair, with his hands tied behind his back in the living room. He wakes up, groaning.

"Come on. Let us hunt him." Lee begs Pa.

"Yeah, this one's a fighter. Sure would be fun to hunt." Jared adds. PA laughs.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me. That's what this is about? You - you yahoos hunt people?" Dean asks. Dean glances over, seeing Isabeau hiding behind one of the doorways, her eyes glowing a fiery orange. She was waiting for the right moment.

"You ever killed before?" Pa asks him.

Dean looks back at Pa, "Wh-" Dean laughs, "Well, that depends on what you mean."

"I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once." Isabeau cringes in disgust at Pa.

"Oh boy. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive."

Isabeau's chest tightens when Pa talks about killing humans and tightly holds onto her rosary, so much that she starts to bleed a little.

"You're a sick puppy." Dean tells him.

"We give 'em a weapon. Give 'em a fightin' chance. It's kind of like... our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy." Pa tells him,standing next to Dean.

Dean shakes his head, "Yeah, well, don't sell yourself short. You're plenty sloppy."

"So, what, you with that pretty cop? Or were you with the pretty albino girl?" Pa asks. Missy looks up at her brother with a smile.

"Are you a cop?" Pa asks.

"If I tell you, you promise not to make me into an ashtray?" Dean sarcastically asks. Pa looks down at Dean, angry. Lee walks over and punches Dean.

Isabeau's eyes change from their fiery orange to a fiery blue.

"Only reason I don't let my boys take you right here and now is that there's somethin' I need to know." Pa walks to the fireplace and takes a hot poker.

Dean groans, "Yeah, how 'bout it's not nice to marry your sister?"

"Tell me—any of the cops gonna come lookin' for you?"

"Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait—you actually might."

Jared walks over to Dean and holds his head in place.

"You think this is funny? You brought this down on my family. Alright, you wanna play games? We'll play some games. Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys." Pa pauses, "And you get to pick the animal. The boy or the cop?"

Dean glares up at Pa when he doesn't mention Isabeau.

Pa smirks down at him, "Well keep the albino girl. Expand the family." Isabeau raises a brow at Pa. Over her dead body would she let that happen.

She looks at Dean and shakes her head, telling him to ignore Pa's comment.

"Okay, wait, wait—look, nobody's comin' for me, alright? It's just us."

"You don't choose, I will." Pa places the hot poker on Dean's shirt and Dean screams in pain. Pa removes the poker.

Isabeau felt the fire in her itching to be released.

"Ah, you son of a bitch!" Pa places the poker barely an inch from Dean's eye.

"Next time, I'll take an eye."

"Alright, the guy, the guy! Take the guy!" Dean says.

Jared lets go of Dean's head, and Pa moves the poker. He takes a key from around his neck and hands it to Lee, "Lee, go do it. Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage." Lee walks to the door.

Isabeau's eyes widen… Sam.

"What? I thought you said you were gonna hunt him. You were gonna give him a chance." Dean asks, confused.

"Lee, when you're done with the boy—shoot the bitch, too… and bring the girl in. We're expanding the family tonight." Pa orders.

Lee nods and leaves, with his rifle.

"Better clean this mess up before any more cops come runnin' out here." Pa says. Dean looks scared.

* * *

Lee enters the barn and walks over to the control panel. He inserts the key and twists it.

"What are you doing?" Sam asks. The door to his cage unlocks and Lee walks towards him.

Sam notices the bracket on the floor and grabs it. Lee opens the cage door and aims his gun.

"Hey!" Kathleen screams.

* * *

Dean and the three Benders can hear a gunshot. Isabeau looks over to the door in fear.

"You hurt my brother, I'll kill you, I swear. I'll kill you all. I will kill you all!" Dean screams at them. Isabeau was in the same boat as Dean. She was gonna make them burn.

Pa stands up and walks towards the open front door, "Lee!"

"Lee!" Pa calls out again, but Lee doesn't respond.

Pa turns to the other three, "Missy, Jared, you watch him now." Pa grabs a rifle and leaves.

Missy remains next to Dean, holding a knife dangerously close to his eye, while Jared is holding onto the hot poker.

Isabeau smirks to herself. This was easy.

Isabeau slowly moves her hand, the closet doors across from the three of them, opening.

"What the hell?" Jared wonders out-loud.

Just as Missy turns to look, she flung into the closet. The closet doors shut and a chair slides under the knobs to keep her locked in. Missy bangs on the door, screaming to be let out.

"Missy!" Jared walks over to open the closet doors, but Isabeau steps in his way.

She smirks up at him, her eyes still glowing their fiery blue, "Surprise."

Jared growls, swinging the poker at her.

"Beau!" Dean yells out in fear, but stares in shock at what he's seeing. "Whoa."

Isabeau stops the poker mid-swing. The heat from the poker sizzling against her hand. Isabeau looks at her hand with a smirk; it wasn't hurting her one bit.

Jared looks at her scared.

"I've felt hotter." Isabeau comments. She pulls the poker out of his hands and thrusts her other hand at his chest. With her powers, Jared goes flying backward into the wall, banging his head hard and falling unconscious.

Isabeau's eyes stop glowing and she drops the poker to the ground. She had no burn marks or anything on her hand.

She walks over to Dean and starts to untie him, "Sorry I didn't do anything sooner. I couldn't take all of them at once."

Dean shakes his head, "It's fine... That was pretty bad-ass." He chuckles.

Isabeau chuckles as well, "Thanks, I try."

She finishes untying him and Dean instantly pulls her into his arms. Isabeau sighs into the hug, wrapping her arms around him.

In that moment, Sam comes running in the door and smiles in relief seeing the two.

Isabeau pulls away from Dean and goes to Sam. The two meet in a tight embrace. "Are you okay?" Isabeau asks.

Sam nods, placing a kiss on her forehead, "I'm fine. How about you guys?"

Dean walks over to Isabeau and his brother, "Still in one piece. Beau kicked ass."

Isabeau shakes her head pulling away from Sam, "What can I say? Had to save the damsel in distress." She says referring to Dean.

Sam chuckles amused as Dean wraps an arm around Isabeau's waist, placing a kiss on the same spot Sam did, "Yeah, yeah, knight in shining armor."

* * *

Isabeau, Dean and Sam walk out the front door and down the porch steps. They meet up with Kathleen, who is leaving the barn.

"Where's the girl and the other guy?" Kathleen asks them.

Isabeau nods to the house, "Locked her in a closet and the other is knocked out cold. What about the dad?"

Kathleen pauses, "Shot. Trying to escape."

All four of them exchange a look.

* * *

Later at the house, Isabeau, Dean, Sam, and Kathleen are leaving.

"I think the car's at the police station." Dean says.

Kathleen is listening to a woman on her walkie-talkie. "Backup unit en route to your location." The woman says.

Kathleen approaches Isabeau, Sam and Dean, "So, state police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you. I suggest that you're all long gone by then."

Dean nods, "Thanks. Hey, listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?"

"Start walking. Duck if you see a squad car." Kathleen tells them.

"Sounds great to me. Thanks." Sam says.

Isabeau sighs, "Listen, uh….I'm sorry about your brother."

Kathleen nods, "Thank you." She begins to tear up, "It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth—but it isn't really."

She pauses, "Are you really an officer?"

Isabeau glances at Dean and Sam with a weak smile, "Kind of. Not really." She shakes her head with a chuckle, "But, let's let people continue believing that I am. I am after all an officer according to the sheriff in Sioux Falls."

Kathleen nods, "Anyway, you should go."

Isabeau, Sam and Dean nod and walk away. Kathleen watches them leave, close to tears.

"Never do that again." Isabeau says once they're a distance away from Kathleen.

"Do what?" Sam asks her,wrapping an arm around her waist.

Dean glances at him, "Go missin' like that."

Sam laughs, "You were worried about me." Isabeau gives him a look. Of course she was worried about him. Though she knows he directed his statement towards Dean and not her.

"All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for ya." Dean says.

"Sure, you won't."

Dean shakes his head, "I'm not."

Sam chuckles, "So, you got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl, huh?" Isabeau chuckles as well.

"Oh, shut up."

"Just sayin', gettin' rusty there, kiddo."

Dean chuckles, "Shut up."

Sam and Isabeau laugh as all three of them continue walking down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isabeau is using her new power over electricity/lightning more and more, but she always defaults to her fire power since she's pretty much used it all her life. Plus, she loves her fire.
> 
> 'Shadow' is next and god damn, I am excited!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed!


	35. Shadow Pt.1

Dean, Isabeau and Sam stop the impala across the street and Dean gets out, dressed as an employee of the alarm system company.

Sam and Isabeau stay in the impala, dressed in the same garb that Dean is and look at the newspaper that Sam is holding. 'Manhunt continues for Stealth Killer - Second murder in 2 months' is on the front of the paper.

Sam hands the newspaper to Isabeau, who tosses it in the back and the two step out of the impala. Dean gets a toolbox from the trunk of the car, and they proceed towards the apartment.

"All right, Dean. This is the place." Sam says.

"You know, I've gotta say Dad and me did just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork." Dean smiles, looking back on a memory from when they were younger, "What was that play that you did? What was it – Our Town. Yeah, you were good, it was cute."

Isabeau chuckles, "I remember that! Oh, Dean's right. You were adorable."

"And I'm not now?" Sam asks.

Isabeau shrugs, "I think you're even cuter."

Sam nudges her with a smile and speaks to Dean, "Look, you wanna pull this off or not?"

"I'm just sayin', these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?" Dean says.

"Whose?" Sam jabs.

"Ours. You think credit card fraud is easy?"

* * *

Isabeau, Sam, Dean, and the landlady enter the victims apartment. "Thanks for lettin' us look around." Sam says.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so…" The landlady says as she, Isabeau and Sam move further into the room.

Dean shuts the apartment door and notices the chain on the door is broken. He follows Isabeau and Sam into the living room; spots of blood cover the carpet.

"You guys said you were with the alarm company?" The landlady asks.

"That's right." Dean answers.

"Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man." She says.

Isabeau snorts as Dean and Sam exchange a look.

"Well, that's why we're here. To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again." Isabeau says walking over to the blood splatters, looking down at them.

"Now, ma'am, you found the body?" Sam says. He walks over to one of the windows and examines it. Dean does the same with another.

"Yeah." The landlady nods.

"Right after it happened?"

The landlady shakes her head, "No. Few days later. Meredith's work called—she hadn't shown up. I knocked on the door. That's when I noticed the smell."

"Any windows open? Any sign of break-in?" Dean asks, looking out the window.

The landlady gestures to the windows, "No, windows were locked. Front door was bolted. Chain was on the door, we had to cut it just to get in."

"And the alarm was still on?" Dean asks, stopping next to Isabeau.

"Like I said, bang-up job your company's doin'."

Isabeau hums, "Mmhmm. You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of struggle?"

The landlady shakes her head, "Everything was in perfect condition...except Meredith."

Sam looks back at the landlady, "And what condition was Meredith in?"

"Meredith was all over. In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of a whackjob. But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said a wild animal did it."

Dean and Isabeau look at Sam. "Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time? Give this place a once-over?" Sam asks.

"Oh, well, go right ahead. Knock yourself out."

Once she leaves, Dean opens his toolbox and removes the EMF meter, "So, a killer walks in and out of the apartment; no weapons, no prints, nothin'."

"I'm tellin' ya, the minute I found that article, I knew this was our kind of gig." Sam says and the EMF meter beeps frantically.

"I think I agree with you." Dean says, standing up from his crouched position.

Sam looks over at Isabeau, who is ghosting her hands along every surface in the apartment, "So, you talked to the cops?"

"Uh, yeah." Isabeau smirks, "I spoke to Amy, a, uh, charming, perky officer of the law."

Sam raises a brow at her, "Yeah? What'd you find out?"

Isabeau sighs, finding it amusing that both him and Dean were getting worked up at her talking about a woman. She starts to joke around, not meaning a word of what she was saying, "Well, she's a Sagittarius. She loves tequila, I mean—wow. Oh, and she's got this little tattoo-"

She jumps in surprise when Dean comes up behind her and slaps her ass, "Don't joke around, sweetheart. We're fine with your _friends with benefits_ , but you're with _us_."

She shakes her head at Dean and looks over at Sam, "You got nothing to worry about, Stretch."

Dean walks away, but not without giving her one last love tap.

Sam moves over to her, "I know… You were saying?"

Isabeau sighs, "Yeah. Uh, nothin' we don't already know. Except for one thing they're keepin' out of the papers."

Sam waits for her to continue, "Hm?"

"Meredith's heart was missing."

Sam looks at her stunned, "Her heart?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. Her heart."

"So, what do you think did it to her?"

Dean adds in his two cents, "Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was—werewolf?"

"No, no werewolf, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace. It's probably a spirit." Sam says at the three walk over to the bloodstains.

Dean observes the blood on the carpet and seems to notice something, "See if you can find any masking tape around."

Sam and Isabeau look around and when they find a roll, Dean uses the masking tape to connect each pool of blood. When he is done, the pieces of tape form an unusual symbol.

"Ever see that symbol before?" Sam asks.

"Never." Dean says.

"Me neither." They exchange a look and then turn to Isabeau who is tilting her head at it.

Isabeau looks over at them and shrugs, "I might be a witch, but I don't even know what that is. It looks old though."

* * *

Later that night, they headed out to the nearest bar. Dean and Isabeau are leaning against the actual bar and Dean is flirting with Isabeau. She occasionally swats his arm and chuckles at his many pick-up lines.

Isabeau made it a challenge for him to see how many of his pick-up lines actually worked on her and so far, only a few out of what Isabeau guessed was 50 so far, were good.

Isabeau takes a sip from her drink, "Not bad, Dean. Though I think I can beat you."

Dean raises a brow at her, "Oh really?"

Isabeau smirks, leaning into him and whispers into his ear a string of words that made him weak in the knees. She pulls away and continues to smirk.

Dean coughs, his mind falling into the deepest gutter, "You're naughty."

Isabeau laughs wholeheartedly, "You haven't seen anything yet."

Dean clenches his first, taking a drink, "I'm counting the days, Beau."

Sam enters and looks around. Isabeau notices, swatting Dean's arm. They take one last drink, and leave, heading toward Sam.

At the other side of the room, Sam finds an empty table and sits down, taking out his John's journal. He leafs through the pages, and shortly, Isabeau sits down next to him and Dean sits down across from him. "We talked to the bartender earlier." Isabeau says.

"Did you get anything?" Sam asks.

"There's nothing to find out. I mean, Meredith worked here, she waited tables, everyone here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so—what about that symbol, you find anything?" Dean asks.

"Nope, nothing. It wasn't in Dad's journal or in any of the usual books. I just have to dig a little deeper, I guess." Sam says.

Dean nods, "Well, there was a first victim, right? Before Meredith?"

"Right. Yeah." Sam pulls out a newspaper clipping concerning the first death, "His name was, uh—his name was Ben Swardstrom."

He hands the clipping to Dean and Isabeau, "Last month he was found mutilated in his town house. Same deal—the door was locked, the alarm was on."

"Is there any connection between the two of them?" Dean asks.

"Not that I can tell—I mean, not yet, at least. Ben was a banker, Meredith was a waitress. They never met, never knew anyone in common—they were practically from different worlds." Sam explains.

Isabeau nods, "So, to recap, the only successful intel we've scored so far is that I can make Dean weak in the knees with just a few well chosen words." She smirks proudly.

Sam seems to notice something at the other side of the room. Dean and Isabeau look around. "What?" Dean asks.

Sam gets up and begins walking away. "Sam?" Isabeau questions.

Sam continues to walk away. He reaches another table, where a young woman with short blonde hair is seated with her back to him. He puts his hand on her shoulder, and she turns around. It is Meg.

"Meg."

"Sam!" She exclaims as Sam looks at her curiously.

"Sam! Is that you? Oh, my God!" She stands up and they hug. Sam looks slightly puzzled and they pull away a few seconds later. "What are you doing here?"

Sam shakes his head, "I'm just in town, visiting friends."

Meg looks around, "Where are they?"

"Well, they're not here right now, but what about you, Meg? I thought you were goin' to California." He asks her. Dean and Isabeau come up behind Sam.

Isabeau tilts her head at Meg in curiosity.

"Oh, I did. I came, I saw, I conquered. Oh, and I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar." Meg says.

"Who?" Sam asks, confused.

Meg shakes her head, "Oh, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while."

Dean clears his throat loudly, but he is ignored. Isabeau gives him a look.

"You're from Chicago?" Sam asks.

"No, Massachusetts—Andover. Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

Sam shrugs, "Yeah, I know, I thought I'd never see you again."

Meg smiles, "Well, I'm glad you were wrong." Isabeau raises a brow and Sam nods. Dean clears his throat again, louder this time. "Dude, cover your mouth." Meg tells him.

Sam glances back at Dean, "Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean."

Meg looks at him in surprise, "This is Dean?"

Sam nods, "Yeah."

Dean smiles, "So, you've heard of me?"

Meg nods, "Oh, yeah. I've heard of you. Nice—the way you treat your brother like luggage."

Dean looks confused, "Sorry?"

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green earth." Meg tells him. Isabeau grimaces from her spot; ouch.

"Meg, it's all right." Sam assures her and the four of them look around quietly.

Dean whistles lowly, "Okay, awkward. I'm gonna get a drink now." He gives Sam a puzzled look, then walks over to the bar.

Meg shakes her head, "Sam, I'm sorry. It's just—the way you told me he treats you...if it were me, I'd kill him."

Sam nods, "It's all right. He means well."

Meg nods.

Sam then glances behind him and places a hand on the small of Isabeau's back, bringing her to his side, "Oh, uh, Meg. This is Isabeau." Sam smiles softly as he introduces her.

Meg smiles at Sam and then at Isabeau. "Isabeau? Sam has told me so much about you!" Sam nods.

"Really?" Isabeau laughs out surprised as she and Meg shake hands.

"Of course! I'm so happy to meet you. From what Sam told me, you guys have been friends since you were born! I would love to talk with you some more!" Meg said.

Isabeau smiles, liking Meg. "Yeah, I would love that. Sam can you give us a minute?"

Sam chuckles. "Don't cause any trouble." Sam then leans down to whisper in Isabeau's ear. "Be careful."

Isabeau furrows her brow at Sam, watching him walk away with a smile.

"No promises, Stretch!" She calls out to him.

Meg shakes her, gesturing to her table, "Sit down. I gotta say, your photos don't do you any justice."

Isabeau smiles, taking a seat across from her, "My photos?"

Meg nods, "Well, yeah… Sam showed me a couple photos of you that he took. He had a whole stack of them."

Isabeau's smile grew wider, "Really? And I thought I was the only one that kept photos."

The girls chuckle. "But thank you for the compliment. It's not everyday I get one from a pretty woman." Isabeau comments while taking a sip of her beer that she still had from the bar.

Meg tilts her head at her, "I highly doubt that."

Isabeau chuckles, "Ah, you got me there."

Meg nods with a smile, "I get it now."

Isabeau raises a brow in confusion, "Get what?"

"What Sam sees in you…" Meg then pauses, "He did tell you right?" She asks.

Isabeau stays silent, giving Meg a knowing look.

Meg smiles brightly, "He told you! I got to say, he's one lucky man."

Isabeau shrugs, "I'm the lucky one… but we're taking it slow. Nothing official yet. Though I'm eagerly awaiting for the title of 'girlfriend' as I am waiting to call him 'boyfriend'." She was referring to both Sam and Dean.

She sighs, "My previous relationships were uh, crash and burn."

Meg nods in understanding, "I've been there. But, I'm happy for you two… You know, we should hang out while you're in town."

"Yeah." Isabeau nods.

"I'll show you a hell of a time." Meg smiles and they chuckle.

"You know what, that sounds great. Why don't you, uh—why don't you give me your number?" Isabeau takes out her cell phone and gets ready to input Meg's number.

"312-555-0143." Meg says.

"You know what, I never got your last name."

"Masters."

"Masters?" Isabeau repeats.

"So, you better call."

Isabeau places a hand over her heart, "Scout's Honor."

Meg laughs at Isabeau, "I hope to see you around, Isabeau."

Isabeau smiles at her and walks away.

* * *

Isabeau, Dean and Sam exit the bar and start walking back to the car. "Who the hell was she?" Dean asks.

"I don't really know. I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird." Sam tells them.

"And what was she saying? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin' about me to some chick?" Dean asks, angry.

Sam sighs, "Look, I'm sorry, Dean. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen—"

Dean interrupts, "Well, is there any truth to what she's saying? I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?"

"No, of course not. Now, would you listen?" Sam defends himself.

Dean stops and turns, "What?"

"I think there's somethin' strange going on here, guys." Sam says.

Isabeau shrugs, "What? The fact that she wants me and her to hang out and have some girl time? I don't think that's strange."

Sam shakes his head, "No, Isabeau, I mean like our kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead."

"Why do you say that?" Dean asks.

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?" Sam asks.

"I don't know, random coincidence. It happens."

Sam nods, "Yeah, it happens, but not to us. Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on."

"I like her. And I didn't feel anything around her, Sam." Isabeau thinks for a second, "Well, I don't know actually, I didn't touch her at all. Then again who knows what the hell I'm feeling with my new powers. Everything is out of whack right now."

Sam stares at her, "Isabeau, please. Just look into this with me?"

Isabeau sighs, "Okay." She turns to Dean, "Do me a favor. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can't dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor."

"What are you two gonna do?" Dean asks.

"We're gonna watch Meg." Isabeau answers.

Dean gives her a look.

Isabeau groans, "Not like that! I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry."

"All right, you little pervert."

Isabeau smirks, "Only for you and Sam."

Sam rolls his eyes, a smile making its way onto his face, "Dean."

"I'm goin', I'm goin'." Dean crosses the street and leaves Isabeau and Sam.


	36. Shadow Pt.2

Dean is on the computer, in their motel room, researching Meg and the symbol. He picks up his cell phone and dials a number.

Isabeau picks up, she's in the driver's seat of the impala and Sam is in the passenger seat, flipping through one of her books, parked outside Meg's apartment. "Hey." She greets.

"Let me guess. You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" Dean asks.

Isabeau scoffs, "No." Dean waits for another response. Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Yes."

"I hope you don't do the same to Sam and I while we're asleep, very naughty sweetheart." Dean jokes.

Isabeau shakes her head, putting her phone on speaker for Sam to hear, "Did you find anything on her or what?"

"Sorry, guys, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook. I even pulled up her high school photo." Dean says.

"What about the symbol? Any luck?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, that I did have some luck with." Dean looks down at his research, "It's, uh—turns out it's Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva."

"What's a Daeva?"

"It translates to "demon of darkness". Zoroastrian demons, and they're savage, animalistic, you know, nasty attitudes—kind of like, uh, demonic pit bulls." Dean explains.

"How'd you figure that out?"

"Give me some credit, man. You don't have a corner on paper chasin' around here."

Sam smiles, "Oh, yeah? Name the last book you read."

"No, I called Dad's friend, Caleb. He told me, all right?" Dean says, defeated.

"Yeah." Isabeau glances up at Meg's dark bedroom window.

"Anyway, here's the thing—these Daevas, they have to be summoned, conjured."

Isabeau furrows her brow, "So, someone's controlling it?"

Dean nods, "Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'. And, from what I gather, it's pretty risky business, too. These suckers tend to bite the hand that feeds them. And, uh, the arms, and torsos."

"So, what do they look like?"

"Well, nobody knows, but nobody's seen 'em for a couple of millennia. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff. I think we've got a major player in town. Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?" Dean jokes.

Isabeau scoffs, "Bite me."

"Happily. Might leave teeth marks, though—" Isabeau hangs up, shaking her head, "Moron." She says fondly.

"Isabeau? Are you—?" Dean hangs up his own phone.

Sam looks at her amused, "I thought you liked being marked?"

Isabeau smiles at Sam, "I do… blame my girls for that one."

"I rather thank them."

Isabeau looks at Sam, surprised, "Stretch… you're one kinky bastard."

Sam shrugs, raising his hands in defense, "Not as bad as you."

Isabeau purses her lips, "True."

Isabeau glances back up at Meg's window. A few seconds later, a light turns on. Meg enters her bedroom, wearing a black lace bra. Sam doesn't notice, still looking through Isabeau's book.

Sam's brow furrows as he notices that a couple of the pages in her book were thicker than the others. He flips back and ends up at the very first page.

'Property of Batholmieu Fitzgerald MacLeod. 1697.' Was written in cursive.

This was originally Bartholmieu's grimoire, but he passed it down to Isabeau. What confused Sam the most was '1697'. He knew that Bartholmieu was around his father's age.

Isabeau looks around uncomfortably, then continues to watch Meg. She puts on a T-shirt. Isabeau and Sam are interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They turn and see a woman standing outside the car, looking annoyed. She gestures to the window.

Isabeau chuckles nervously, "Oh, no, no, no, I'm just—"

"Perverts." The woman walks away angrily.

Isabeau and Sam are stunned. A second later, Meg leaves her apartment, now wearing a sweatshirt and jacket as well. She walks across the street, briefly glancing at the parked car.

Once she is gone, Isabeau and Sam, who had been hiding, sit up. They exchange a look, get out of the car and follow her.

* * *

Meg walks down the street and stops at a graffiti-covered wall. She looks around before pulling open a door, which seems to be part of the wall.

When she is inside, Sam and Isabeau peer out from behind a building. They also walk to the wall and enter through the camouflaged door.

* * *

Isabeau and Sam enter the warehouse and walk up a flight of stairs. They reach a door at the top, which Sam attempts to open, but it is locked.

Isabeau looks around and sees a broken down elevator gate. She and Sam enter the gate and begin to climb the side of it, using different bars as footrests.

When they reach the top, they are able to peer through the gate into a dimly lit room. There is a black altar in the middle of the room. They see Meg enter and walk over to the altar.

They keep watching silently while hanging on to the bars of the gate. Meg reaches the altar and picks up a silver bowl filled with blood. She swirls her finger around in the liquid and speaks an incantation in an ancient language.

She then begins to speak to someone that neither of them can hear, "I don't think you should come… Because the brothers… Isabeau, they're in town, I didn't know that… Yes, sir… Yes, I'll be here...waiting for you."

Sam and Isabeau exchange confused looks.

Meg sets down the bowl and blows out the candles at the altar, then leaves the room. Once she is gone, Isabeau moves to the wall, where there is a space through which she can crawl.

She hoists herself up and climbs into the room. She holds out her hand to Sam which he takes and helps him into the room.

They walk to the altar and observe it. They see several human hearts on the table, along with other ancient items. In the middle of the altar is the Zoroastrian symbol, drawn in blood.

"What the hell?" Sam shakes his head.

Isabeau's breath hitches, picking up an item from the altar, "Sam."

Sam looks over, his eyes widening, "How?"

In Isabeau's hand was the photo of her that Meg stole from Sam when they first met.

* * *

Sam and Isabeau enter the motel and look around for Dean. They see each other.

"Dude, I gotta talk to you." Sam and Dean say in unison.

Isabeau just stares at them. She loved that a little too much.

* * *

"So, little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean asks.

"Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing." Sam says.

"And what's the deal with that bowl again?"

"She was talking into it." Isabeau says, "The way we witches used to scry into crystal balls or…" She grimaces, "...animal entrails. She was communicating with someone."

"With who? With the Daeva?" Dean asks.

Sam shakes his head, "No, you said those things were savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse."

Dean thinks for a moment and glances at some files on a nearby table. He sits down at the table and looks through them, "Holy crap."

"What?" Isabeau asks.

"What I was gonna tell you earlier. I pulled a favor with your friend, Amy, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victims. We missed something the first time."

"What?" Sam asks, coming over to look at the records. Isabeau follows.

"The first victim, the old man—he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born." Dean points to the page.

"Lawrence, Kansas." Sam reads.

Dean hums, "Mmhmm." He picks up the second file, "Meredith, second victim—turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from." The paper reads 'Lawrence, Kansas'.

Sam sits down across from Dean, clearly shocked, "Holy crap."

"Yeah."

"I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?" Sam questions aloud.

Isabeau sighs, "I think it's a definite possibility."

"But I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?"

Dean shakes his head, "Beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, we can't. We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showin' up to meet her."

"Beau, I think you should stay here." Sam says.

Dean looks at him confused, "What? Why?"

Isabeau pulls out the photo of herself that she took from the altar and slaps it on the table, "Meg had a picture of me on the altar and she called me by my name to whoever she was talking to."

She looks at Sam, "I don't care that a picture of me was on the altar, Sam. I'm coming… like it or not."

Sam sighs, knowing that he can't fight her on this.

"I'll tell you one thing. I don't think we should do this alone." Dean says.

* * *

Later in the motel room, Dean is leaving a message on John's voicemail. While he is talking, Sam enters the room with bags full of weapons, while Isabeau is outside trying to get a hold of her father.

"We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse—it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can." Dean hangs up.

"Voicemail?" Sam asks.

"Yeah." He gestures to the bags, "Jesus, what'd you get?"

Sam chuckles, "I ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about a half dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything, huh?"

Dean nods, and they begin loading their guns silently, "Big night."

"Yeah. You nervous?" Sam asks.

"No. Why, are you?"

"No. No way." They're silent for a few seconds.

Sam shakes his head, "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?"

Dean chuckles, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?"

"I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school, just be a person again." Sam says. He didn't mention that he would take Isabeau with him. But he knows that she would want normal.

"You wanna go back to school?"

Sam nods, "Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing."

"Huh."

"Why, is there somethin' wrong with that?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head, "No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you."

"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?"

Dean pauses thinking about it, "I don't know. There's always gonna be something to hunt. I got Isabeau to think about."

Sam scoffs, "I do too, Dean. You know that she doesn't want to hunt forever?"

Dean glances at Sam, "And you know that she can't just run away from who she is. Especially with what's happening to her. If she still hunts, so do I... and I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." He walks over to the dresser.

Sam looks at him confused, "I can't just leave, Dean. Isabeau is with the both of us… Dude, what's your problem?"

Dean is silent for a while, then turns back to Sam, "Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?"

"'Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom." Sam answers.

"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man." He returns to the dresser and is silent again, then once more turns to Sam, "You and me and Dad—I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again."

"Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before." Sam says.

Dean looks heartbroken, "Could be." He says sadly.

Sam nods, "I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever… and Isabeau. It's not like we're never gonna be in each other's lives, Dean. Hell, we might live together one day because of Isabeau."

"We love her, Dean. Both of us. We knew that going into this relationship. If she hunts, I can't stop her, but I want her to have something normal. And don't lie to yourself. If Isabeau dropped hunting, so would you."

Dean stares at him, silent.

"Tell me I'm wrong. You wouldn't drop everything for her, just like me? Like she does for us?" Sam says.

Isabeau walks in the motel room, "Nothing from Dad. Left him a voicemail." She freezes, feeling the tension in the room, "Am I interrupting something? Sibling squabble? Should I go back outside?"

Sam shakes his head with a chuckle, walking over to her. He cups her face and places a light kiss on her forehead, "No, we're good."

Dean stays silent. Sam was right. If Isabeau asked them to drop everything, they would follow her to the ends of the earth. In a way that sort of devotion terrified him, but he was also at ease, knowing that Isabeau had the same devotion for him and Sam. And that was enough for him.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean climb the elevator gate in the warehouse and reach the top room.

Meg is standing at the altar, speaking in an ancient language. Quietly, Isabeau, Sam and Dean squeeze through the space between the gate and the wall. They draw their guns and move to the other side of the room, hiding behind some crates.

"Guys." Meg calls out. Isabeau, Sam and Dean look at each other, stunned. "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?" She says.

"Well, that didn't work out like I planned." Dean says to Isabeau and Sam.

Meg turns around to face them, "Why don't you come out?"

Isabeau, Sam and Dean come out from behind the crates as Meg steps towards them, "Isabeau, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship."

Isabeau scoffs, "Yeah, tell me about it. Guess girls night is off."

"So, where's your little Daeva friend?" Dean asks.

"Around. You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good." Meg says.

"Oh, don't worry. The shotgun's not for the demon."

"So, who is it, Meg? Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?" Sam asks.

"You."

Isabeau tilts her head at Meg, confused.

The shadow demon begins to form on the wall. It knocks Sam to the ground, a claw-like scratch appears on his face and throws Dean into the crates, starting to bleed from his forehead.

"Sam! Dean!" Isabeau calls out. As she goes to help them, the shadow demon throws her into a wall and a claw-like scratch appears on her on her chest.

* * *

Isabeau groans as she comes to, she realizes that she is tied to a post and notices that Dean and Sam are tied to two separate posts as well. She also sees Meg sitting before her.

"Hey, Isabeau? Don't take this the wrong way, but your friend...is a bitch." Dean says.

Isabeau coughs, "This, the whole thing, was a trap. Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?" She asks.

Meg laughs.

"And that the victims were from Lawrence?" Sam adds in.

"It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw you in, that's all." Meg says.

"You killed those two people for nothin'." Isabeau spat out.

"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less." Meg tells her.

"You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time." Dean smiles, "But why don't you kill us already?"

"Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" Meg leans in closer, "This trap isn't for you."

Dean is puzzled at her words. Sam thinks for a second, then realizes something, "Dad. It's a trap for Dad."

Dean looks at Meg, who smiles at him.

Dean shakes his head, "You're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good."

"He is pretty good. I'll give you that." Meg walks over to him and sits down, straddling his legs. Isabeau scowls, tugging at her restraints.

"But you see, he has one weakness." Meg says.

"What's that?"

"You. He lets his guard down around his boys, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he is in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody—nice and slow and messy."

"Well, I've got news for ya. It's gonna take a lot more than some….shadow to kill him." Dean tells her.

"Oh, the Daevas are in the room here—they're invisible. Their shadows are just the only part you can see."

"Why you doin' this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Sam asks.

Meg looks over, "I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do—loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy." Meg glances over at Isabeau, "And Isabeau."

"Go to hell." Isabeau says lowly.

Meg smiles at her, "Baby, I'm already there." She smiles and slides over to Isabeau, "Come on, Isabeau. There's no need to be nasty."

Sam and Dean pull at the restraints, glaring at Meg.

She leans in to whisper in her ear, "I think we both know how you really feel about me." Meg chuckles, moving to straddle Isabeau. Isabeau looks away, not wanting to face Meg.

"You know, I saw you watching me—changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't it?" Meg asks.

"Don't you touch her." Dean growls out.

Meg chuckles again, "I didn't know you got both Winchesters. You truly are special, Isabeau."

Meg glances at Dean and Sam, "Don't worry, boys. _My_ Isabeau isn't going to die anytime soon. Kind of need her… want her."

"I'm not yours." Isabeau growls out, "And I wasn't turned on. If I want a woman, I have friends on speed dial."

Meg smiles wickedly, ignoring her last comment, "I didn't mind. I liked that you were watching me. Come on, Isabeau. You and I can still have a little dirty fun." She bites her ear and then begins kissing her neck.

Isabeau glances over at Sam and Dean who were fuming. She gives them a look, hoping they'll play along with her plan, "You wanna have fun? Go ahead then. I'm a little tied up right now." She grunts out.

Meg smiles and continues to kiss her neck. A noise on Dean's side of the room makes her stop. She gets up and walks behind Dean's post.

Meg sees he has a knife in his hand. She takes it away and tosses it into a corner. Meg swings around to the other side of the post, and smiles at Dean, who chuckles guiltily.

She slides back over to Isabeau, getting close to her face, "Now, were you just trying to distract me while one of your boyfriends cuts free?"

Isabeau shakes her head, whispering, "No. No. That's because I have a little fire of my own."

Meg looks at her confused. Isabeau's eyes glow fiery orange and break free from her ropes and grabs Meg's shoulders, then knocks her head against hers. Meg falls to the floor while Isabeau groans in pain.

"Isabeau! Get the altar." Isabeau stands from her spot, clutching her head with one hand and juts her other hand out toward the altar. The altar goes flying into the wall, shattering to pieces. Isabeau's eyes no longer glow.

Suddenly, the shadow demon appears and grabs Meg. She is dragged across the floor and crashes through the window, falling down to the street below.

Isabeau grabs Dean's knife that Meg threw aside and cuts Dean and Sam free from their ropes. They walk over to the window and see Meg sprawled on the sidewalk, dead.

Sam chuckles, "So, I guess the Daevas didn't like being bossed around."

"Yeah, I guess not. Hey, Isabeau?" Dean says.

Isabeau looks up at Dean, "Hm?"

"Next time you wanna have a girls night, call up one of your girls that are not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" Dean smiles and walks away.

Isabeau chuckles and leans into Sam, "Remind me for next time."

* * *

Isabeau, Dean and Sam are walking back to their room. "Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?"

"I said it before, and I'll say it again—better safe than sorry." Isabeau says.

Dean unlocks the door and they enter the room. They see the outline of two men standing by the window

"Hey!" Dean calls out and Sam turns on the light.

The men turn around; It is John and Bartholmieu. The three of them are stunned. "Dad?" Dean says, looking at his father.

Isabeau's breath hitches, looking at her own father, "Dad." She whispers out.

John smiles, "Hey, boys."

Isabeau goes to her father, the two embracing in a tight hug. Even though they saw each other just a couple months ago, they still missed each other like it's been years.

Dean and John walk towards each other and share a long, emotional hug. Sam watches sadly. Dean and John pull apart a few seconds later. "Hi, Sam." John says.

"Hey, Dad." Sam says softly. Sam and John do not hug, but look at each other. Sam places the bag full of weapons on the floor.

The three men turn to look over at Isabeau and Bartholmieu, who pull away from their hug and turns to look at the others. John smiles softly at the two, "Hey, Isabeau."

Isabeau smiles softly and walks over to John, "Hey, John."

John places a hand on her head and pulls her in for a hug. Isabeau might not have been his actual daughter, but he treated her like she was.

The two pull away and Bartholmieu makes his way next to John, both exchanging a smile.

"Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry." Dean apologizes.

John shakes his head, "It's all right. I thought it might've been."

"Were you there?"

Bartholmieu nods, "Yeah, we got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?"

"Yes, sir." Both Sam and Dean say in unison. Usually they wouldn't address Batholmieu with that title, but they were in the presence of their father. They were taught to show respect for not just their father, but for Isabeau's father while they're together.

Isabeau sighs, "Yeah, Dad." Isabeau didn't need to call her own father, 'sir'. Bartholmieu never liked that for her or for Sam and Dean to call him that.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop us before." John smiles.

"The demon has?" Sam asks.

"It knows we're close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell—actually kill it."

"How?" Dean asks.

Batholmieu and John smile. "We're workin' on that." Bartholmieu tells them.

"Let us come with you. We'll help." Sam says. Dean gives Sam a warning look.

John shakes his head, "No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in a crossfire. I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us."

"Of course I do. I'm your father." John pauses.

Isabeau looks over at her Dad, who was smiling at her softly. She returns the smile. Bartholmieu worried about his daughter everyday, but he knew that she could take care of herself.

"Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight." John says.

Sam is close to tears, "Yes, sir."

John sniffles, "It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

Sam nods, "Too long." He and John embrace, crying. A minute later, they pull apart. The five of them look around tearfully.

Suddenly, the shadow demon attacks John. He is thrown into a set of cabinets and falls to the ground. Sam also falls.

"No!" Dean exclaims as he is thrown to the floor as well.

Isabeau's eyes widened, "Sam! Dean!" She exclaims. She screams as she is thrown across the room.

"Lass!" Bartholmieu screams for his daughter, as he too is thrown to the ground.

Outside, Meg is watching the motel. She looks at the building while holding a pendant around her neck, which features the Zoroastrian symbol.

* * *

The five are still being attacked by the shadow demon. They groan and scream in pain as they are flung around the room. Fresh scratches appear on their faces.

Isabeau looks around and locks eyes with her father. He nods, "Shut your eyes!" He orders the others as Isabeau makes her way to the middle of the room, her eyes glowing a fiery blue.

"These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!" Isabeau says. Her entire body ignites in blue flames and the room is instantly filled with smoke and a brilliant blue, almost white light. The shadow demon vanishes.

The other four try to feel their way around the room, coughing and sputtering.

"Dad!" Dean calls out.

"Over here!" John calls out. Dean makes his way to John and helps him up. Bartholmieu comes up behind Sam, gilding him towards the door, "Keep it going, Lass!" He calls out to his daughter.

"Wait! Isabeau!" Dean screams out helping John out of the room.

"Keep going! She's got this, Dean! She come out when we're safe!" Bartholmieu yells.

Sam glances back, squinting his eyes at Isabeau's fiery form.

Her eyes meet his, "Go Sam!"

Sam nods, carrying his bag of weapons, letting Bartholmieu guild him and the others out of the building.

* * *

Once they get out of the motel, Bartholmieu looks back at the room as they walk down the stairs, "Come on, Lass." He whispers.

The light in the motel room glows brighter as a ball of blue flames flies out of the window, flying in front of all of them. In a burst of flames, Isabeau reforms, running and still leading the way.

They walk down an alley to where the impala is. "All right, come on. We don't have much time. As soon as my flame's out, they'll be back." Isabeau tells them, limping to the impala.

Sam throws his bag in the backseat.

"Wait, wait, wait! Sam, wait." Dean says and everyone pauses, breathing deeply.

Bartholmieu walks over to his daughter and pulls her aside, leaving the three Winchesters to their conversation. "Dad?" Isabeau whispers as he walks his daughter away from the others.

"Dad, you can't come with us." Dean says.

"What? What are you talkin' about?" Sam asks.

"You boys—you're beat to hell." John says, worried.

"We'll be all right." Dean says.

"Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after those demons—"

"Sam! Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop. They're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He—he's stronger without us around."

"Dad-" Sam puts a hand on his father's shoulder, "No."

Dean looks away sadly, his gaze lands on Bartholmieu and Isabeau. The two were talking a distance away. Isabeau looks down at her hands and tendrils of electricity fly along her fingers. Bartholmieu looks down at them in shock and then looks up at his daughter's face.

"After everything- after all the time we spent lookin' for you—please. I gotta be a part of this fight." Sam tells John.

"Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son." John says. Sam shakes his head no. "Okay, you've gotta let me go."

All three of them are silent for a moment, close to tears. Finally, Sam looks at his hand on his dad's shoulder, and then pats his father's shoulder once, then let's go. John and Dean share a look, then John walks over to Bartholmieu and Isabeau.

Sam and Dean watch as John and Bartholmieu talk. John looks over at Isabeau, gives her a soft smile and talks to her. Neither brother can hear what he's saying. Isabeau nods, the tendrils of electricity dissipating from her hands.

John walks away from the two and heads to his truck. Once there, he looks back at them one more time. "Be careful, boys." He gets in his truck and drives away.

Isabeau and Bartholmieu walk over to Sam and Dean.

"You leaving too?" Sam asks, tears still in his eyes. He just lost his father again, he doesn't want Bartholmieu, another father figure, to leave. Even Dean looks at Bartholmieu with hope that he stays.

Bartholmieu looks at Sam and Dean and huffs out a laugh, "Not yet. Need to make sure you three are all taken care of." He gestures to the car, "You good to drive?" He asks Dean.

Dean nods with a faint smile, "Yeah."

Bartholmieu nods back, "Good. Drive a couple towns over, I'll call up a friend and we'll get you patched up."

Dean nods, "Yes-"

Bartholmieu holds his hand up, "Ah- no sirs. Bartholmieu is my name, use it."

Sam faintly smiles, "Thank you, Bartholmieu."

Isabeau smiles, "I'm gonna sit in the back with Dad."

Dean nods, him getting in the driver's seat and Sam in the passenger. Isabeau and Bartholmieu climb into the backseat.

Without a word, Dean starts the car. He backs into the street, then speeds down the road and around a corner.

Meg comes onto the street from a flight of stairs. She turns and watches them leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd I do? Hopefully good. Sorry it took a while to get this out. Had a little writer's block. Anyway, the chapter that comes after this is a original chapter, but it has a LOT of key plot points for the future of this series.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	37. Questions and No Answers

"Alright, Sam, easy, easy." Bartholmieu helps Sam into their motel room and sets the younger brother down on the edge of one of the beds.

Isabeau comes in with Dean, gilding him to the other bed, setting him down and runs back out towards the impala.

It was the following morning and Dean drove over a couple of towns, stopping at a cheap motel per Bartholmieu's request.

"Lass, you got everything?" Bartholmieu asks as Isabeau comes back in with her bag, slamming it down on the motel kitchen table.

She zips it open, tossing her father his old grimoire that he passed down to her, "Yep, though I'm running a little low."

Bartholmieu nods, "I'll grab some stuff for you before I leave." Bartholmieu pulls over one of the side tables to the middle of the room, kneeling down next to it.

Isabeau runs back and forth placing herbs and flowers with a mortar and pestle. Bartholmieu opens to a certain page and starts to grind certain herbs and flowers together.

Isabeau continues placing multiple crystals in a certain formation, along with blue colored candles.

Dean and Sam watch in interest as Isabeau and her father move in sync; handing things back and forth to each other without words exchanged between them.

A knock on the door makes everyone freeze. " _ **Who did you call?"**_ Isabeau asks her father. Sam and Dean look at her confused, they didn't understand any word of what she just said.

Bartholmieu glances over at the brothers amused, " _ **Oscar."**_ He responds in the same language that Isabeau spoke.

Isabeau smiles and limps over to the door, opening it to reveal a man in his early thirties. He has golden brown skin with black curly hair, his silver eyes look down at Isabeau and smiles at her. He was dressed in a red button up shirt with a few of the buttons undone, revealing a bit of his chest, black skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees and black leather ankle boots, "Hello, little witch."

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Nanna coined that nickname. Sorry it's taken." Isabeau steps aside as Oscar seems to glide into the room and over to Bartholmieu.

"What happened to all of you?" Oscar asks, kneeling across from Bartholmieu, immediately picking up where Isabeau left off.

"Shadow demons." Bartholmieu answers.

"Ah…" Oscar nods and looks over at Isabeau, "Little witch, grab towels from the bathroom and start cleaning up your lovers, yes?"

Isabeau nods, limping over to the bathroom and limps over to the bathroom.

Sam shakes his head, "I'm sorry. Do we know you?"

Oscar takes Sam and Dean in, "I'm afraid you do not." Oscar puts out his hand for Sam to shake, "Oscar, pleasure." Sam shakes his hand and Dean does the same.

"I'm a member of Bartholmieu's coven. And honorary uncle of the little witch." Oscar explains.

Isabeau walks back into the room with a handful of towels in and places them on the bed besides Sam. "Gotta get a new nickname, uncle." She says, walking over to grab a wooden bowl from her bag and fills it up with water.

"You're 'little witch' to the entirety of Bartholmieu's coven. Deal with it, child." Oscar says.

Isabeau rolls her eyes, walking back over to Sam and Dean, "All right, shirts off."

Sam and Dean look at her, stunned. "W-What?" Sam asks.

"Shirts off." Isabeau repeats herself.

Dean stutters, looking back and forth between Bartholmieu and Oscar and Isabeau, "In front of your dad and his friend?"

"Oh, you naive boy." Oscar comments, looking over at Dean with a smirk, "I've seen more than a man's naked torso. You'll live."

Dean looks over at Isabeau, flustered and she just chuckles, "Don't mind him. Just focus on me, okay?" Dean nods and starts to remove his jacket and shirts. Sam follows suit.

Isabeau takes the shirts and jackets and tosses them aside. She picks up a hand towel and dips it into the bowl of water and starts to clean the blood off of Sam's chest and face. Sam winces as she does so and she looks up at him with a frown, "Sorry, Stretch."

Sam shakes his head, "Your fine."

Dean looks over at Oscar and Bartholmieu, watching them work, "What are you making?" He asks curiously.

"Isabeau is low on her paste; the one that she's been using to speed up the healing time of all your wounds. Oscar and I are making a fresh new batch with a little added kick." Bartholmieu explains.

"The kick being?" Dean asks.

Oscar chuckles, "With just one drop of blood from each of you, it will speed up the healing time by tenfold. Things work better when you add a little blood."

"Plus, with the added power of two witches from the same coven helps as well. It'll be a little bit stronger from Isabeau's previous batch." Bartholmieu adds.

Isabeau looks over at her father from her spot in front of Sam, and points at him, "Hey! None of my girls were in town when I made it. I think it did pretty good for how quickly it worked." She turns back, whipping gently at the cuts on Sam's face.

"Wait, your girls… are your coven?" Dean asks.

She looks over at him and shrugs, "I thought that was obvious?" She pulls up the edge of her shirt and shows them the blacked out butterfly tattoo on her hip, "This is our mark. What symbolizes our coven. Also kind of a tracking device too."

Isabeau puts down her shirt and finishes whipping away the last bit of Sam's blood. She steps away and hands the towel to her father who squeezes it; some of Sam's blood drips into the mortar and goes back to mixing everything together.

"Your turn, Dearie." Dean smiles as Isabeau walks over to him and starts cleaning his cuts, like she did with his brother.

Sam looks over, "So, how long have you had your coven, Bartholmieu?" His mind tracks back to the date he read in Bartholmieu's old grimoire.

Bartholmieu and Oscar give each other a knowing look, "Very long time, Sam."

Isabeau sighs, continuing to help Dean, "Just tell them, Dad. They're gonna find out one day."

Bartholmieu sighs, "I'm pretty sure you asked because of the date in my old book. As the date says, since 1697. I'm over 300 years old, boys."

Sam blinks, "What?"

Dean looks at Isabeau to confirm what he just heard. She smiles at him sheepishly, "It's true. We just celebrated his 347th last year."

Oscar chuckles, "His is one old man."

Bartholmieu chucks a dried up flower bud at Oscar's head, "Shut up, you. You're just as old as I am."

"Your immortal?" Sam asks.

Bartholmieu smiles to himself, "Through a certain spell… yes. If I never did the spell, I would've never met Yvette. Nor Isabeau or my sons would've been born."

"Natural born witches have the ability to conduct this spell." Oscar starts to explain, "Let's say if a non-natural born witch does this, it could either work or back fire completely. Fifty-fifty chance, really."

"Could Isabeau do it?" Dean asks suddenly.

Isabeau smiles softly, finishing the last bit of Dean's cuts, "I can. Though I choose not to."

She pulls away, handing the towel to her father and repeats what he did with Sam's previously. Isabeau pulls out her knife from her boot and cuts into her palm.

" _ **Seriously?"**_ Bartholmieu scolds her as she holds her bleeding hand over the mortar.

Isabeau just smiles, wrapping a small towel around her hand, " _ **Quicker and easier."**_ She takes a seat next to Dean who starts to clean the cuts on her face.

Oscar shakes his head, "Such a strange little witch." Him and Bartholmieu continue to work.

"What's that language?" Dean asks Isabeau, helping her take off her jacket.

"Gaelic. Dad taught it to all of us." Isabeau says.

Bartholmieu glances over and gives a smile, "So I see that you two finally confessed to my daughter. I'm happy for you."

"Taking it slow, Dad. Taking it slow."

Oscar looks over, finishing up his part of the spell and leans on his elbows, "And you boys are okay with her coven being as close as they are?" He asks, almost as if he didn't believe it.

Sam and Dean think about it for a second. "I mean, it's her coven. We can't break that even if we tried." Sam says.

"And we don't want to. I mean our relationship isn't exactly normal, so who are we to judge?" Dean says.

Oscar points his finger at both brothers, "I knew I was gonna like you boys. Just treat her well. Not only do you have her coven looking out for her, but you have ours." He gestures to himself and Bartholmieu.

Dean swallows nervously and shares a look with Sam.

Isabeau chuckles, "Uncle Oscar, please. I would appreciate it if you didn't scare them with threats."

Oscar shrugs innocently, "I'm just warning them."

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Is it almost ready, Dad?"

Bartholmieu nods, mixing the paste in the mortar around a couple more times before scooping it into the empty container that held the substance beforehand. He closes it, satisfied and hands it to Isabeau, "All set."

Isabeau takes it and pauses, "What about you? You need some of this stuff too."

Oscar smiles, blowing out the candles, "I'll take care of your father." Bartholmieu raises a brow at Oscar, amused.

Isabeau playfully gags, "Ugh, please none of that in front of me. I have to deal with you and mom being lovey dovey all the time. I don't want to see it with your coven."

The two men chuckle and get up from their spots. "I suggest you spend the next couple of days letting your wounds heal. Even with the added kick, it's gonna take a while." Bartholmieu says.

Isabeau smiles and gets up from the bed to hug Bartholmieu, "Thanks, Dad."

Bartholmieu smiles, "Anything for you, Lass."

The two pull away from the hug and Isabeau's eyes widen, "Oh! I almost forgot."

She limps over to her bag and pulls out a small pile of research she pulled together, "Think you can delve deeper into what I put together?"

Bartholmieu walks over to her, taking the research and leafs through it, "Pagan gods… Isabeau you know the basics."

Isabeau huffs, "I know, Dad. Just something really weird happened a while ago. We came across the pagan god, Vanir and… it called me 'mother'."

Bartholmieu says nothing, and glances back at Oscar who raises a brow. He turns back to his daughter, "That is weird. Oscar and I will look into it and I'll have the other members check it out as well."

Oscar steps forward, "We'll also look into your new found element. Your mother should be able to help out with that."

Isabeau nods, "Thanks… Are you gonna catch up with John afterwards?" She asks her father.

Bartholmieu chuckles, "Maybe. If he needs my assistance, I'll hightail it to him. But I miss your mother. Home is calling my name."

Isabeau smiles, happy to hear that her dad was going to head back home, "Good. Tell mom and the gremlins I love and miss them… even though I call them like every other day to say the exact same thing."

Bartholmieu hugs Isabeau and squeezes her tight, "Be safe."

Isabeau's smile falters, "No promises."

Bartholmieu pulls away to let Oscar hug her as well, "I will say that you choose well, little witch." Oscar whispers in her ear.

When they pull away, Oscar glances at Sam and Dean and turns back to her with a smile, "Very well."

Isabeau chuckles, swatting his arm, "Go, and take care of my Dad!" She tells Oscar as they walk out the door.

Oscar chuckles, "Oh! I will."

Isabeau playfully grimaces, "Gross." She closes the door and walks back over to Sam and Dean.

She lifts up the container of newly made paste and waves it, "Who's going first?"

* * *

Isabeau pulls out her essential oils from her bag, along with a collection of herbs and lays them out on the motel kitchen table.

It was early morning and Dean and Sam were still asleep in their beds. Isabeau glances over her shoulder, smiling at the two. It's been a day since her dad and Oscar left and told the three of them to take a couple of days to recuperate.

A lot of their cuts still remained, but all would disappear with the next few days and then it's one the road again for all of them.

Since it was early, Isabeau still hadn't changed into her clothes. She was wearing her usual black lace bra and underwear, and had on one of her plaid flannels that was unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

Isabeau turns back to her items and pulls out one of her grimoires that she used for cataloging and keeping inventory of her supplies.

She opens it up and starts writing things down in it, taking count of what she had on the table.

Isabeau hears Dean groan in his bed and the bed sheets shift. Dean wakes up groggily and looks over seeing Isabeau, "Taking inventory?" He asks.

Isabeau nods from her spot, "It's been awhile. I forgot what I have and what I need. Plus, Dad left before he could grab a few things for me." She continues writing, not looking back at Dean.

Dean gets up from the bed with a yawn, he walks over to her and hugs her from behind, resting his head on top of hers, "Do you need to make a run?" He asks, still halfway asleep.

Isabeau hums in thought, "Yeah, it looks like it. Hopefully there's a place around here that has what I need."

Dean runs his fingers through her hair and places a kiss on her temple, "I'm sure we can find something. Why don't you come back to bed? It's 4 in the morning. We'll get back up in a couple of hours, grab breakfast and get what you need."

"But, Dean-"

"No 'buts'." He takes the grimoire and pen from her hands and sets them down on the table. He hooks his arms around her torso and lifts her from the ground, walking her back to his bed.

She whines, "Seriously?"

Dean chuckles, "Seriously. No whining."

He sets her down on the bed and climbs in next to her, "Sleep now, work later."

Isabeau rolls her eyes and curls into his arms, closing her eyes.

* * *

"Lavender, sandalwood, ylang ylang, mint… think you can tackle the oils, Sam?" Isabeau asks, handing Sam a small list of oils that she was running low on and needed to replace.

Sam nods with a smile, kisses her on the cheek, takes the list and heads off to find the oils that Isabeau needs.

True to Dean's word, a couple hours after Isabeau went back to sleep, the three went out and grabbed breakfast. Afterwards, Isabeau was able to locate a small shop that had everything she needed.

Dean wraps his arms around Isabeau from behind like he did earlier this morning, "Oils… sounds sexy."

Isabeau snorts, "For aromatherapy, Dean. Taking things slow remember?"

Dean hums, "I know, I know. Still counting down the days, sweetheart."

Isabeau smiles fondly, "Keep it in your pants, Dearie. If I can do it, so can you."

The three make their way around the store. Sam was able to find the oils that Isabeau needed, spent what Dean said 'felt like an hour' picking out herbs and dried up flowers, and also picking out a few crystals to add to Isabeau's collection.

Isabeau also suggested that both Sam and Dean pick out some essence that they liked while she talked with the shop's owner in the back, who, surprise, was a fellow wiccan.

"Not many witches live anywhere near here. May I ask where you're from?" The wiccan, who's name was Lia, asks, grabbing a couple tin boxes of tea from the shelves.

"California. Just here to stock up. Don't know how much longer I'm gonna be away from home. Oh, thank you." Isabeau says as Lia hands her two teas; a green tea and a peach tea, her two favorites.

"My pleasure. Well, I hope that my shop had everything you needed." Lia asks hopefully.

Isabeau chuckles, placing the teas in her basket, "Everything and more. I'll have to tell my coven about your shop. We usually take note of all the shops we come across so that when one of us is away, we know the closest place to pick up supplies."

Lia chuckles, "I'm flattered. I'm happy you found what you needed."

Isabeau smiles, staying silent for a few moments, "Hey, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?"

Lia shrugs, making a fresh new pot of tea, "I might have a couple of answers. Shot."

Isabeau places her basket on the floor next to the table that Lia uses for readings. She pulls out a piece of paper that has the symbol of a swirl on it, "Do you have any idea what this is? I have a vague idea, but nothing concrete."

Lia pours two cups of tea and places them on the table, gesturing for Isabeau to sit. Isabeau does so, taking a sip of her tea as Lia sits in her own chair, looking at the symbol.

She hums, "Looks familiar. What do you think?"

Isabeau sighs, leaning back in her chair, "A while back I came across Vanir-"

"The Norse god of wisdom and fertility? One of the oldest pagan gods?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. We went to the local professor who was in on the offerings, the whole town was… Anyway. They offered me as a gift, not as a sacrifice. And when Vanir, who used a scarecrow to collect the sacrifices, set me free… he called me 'Mother'."

Isabeau takes a breath pointing at the symbol, "When we went to the professor, before we even knew it was Vanir, this symbol was on every single page having to do with a pagan god. He said that this was a symbol of a deity even older than the 'Old Gods' and they worshiped her and called her 'Mother'."

Lia stares at her and bites her lip, "How old are you?"

Isabeau furrows her brow, "What does my age have to do with anything?"

Lia rolls her eyes, "Just answer the question."

"I'm 23… 24 in June."

"Day?"

Isabeau sighs, not knowing why this was important, "The twenty-first. Do you want the year too?"

Lia gives her a look.

"1982. June 21st, 1982."

Lia tilts her head, "You were born on Litha, the summer solstice… interesting."

Isabeau shrugs, "Yeah… My brothers were also born on pagan holidays. It just happened that way."

Lia gets up and writes down something on a notepad. Lia walks over and hands Isabeau the note and the drawing of the symbol, "Go to the local library. My sister, Nell is the librarian there, she'll be able to get you all the books you need to figure this out."

Isabeau grabs the papers and before she can put them in her pocket, Lia grabs her wrist, "I'm not sure what that symbol fully means, but if pagan gods are calling you 'Mother' then something big is going to happen. Be watchful and may the goddess bless you."

* * *

Isabeau bounces her leg up and down as she flips through the large book in front of her. Papers were strewn all over the long table, all covered in her own markings and notes. Multiple books were open and some were marked on certain pages.

Isabeau jumps as the librarian, Nell, sets down another pile of books next to her. Nell chuckles at Isabeau, "Sorry. Here you go, I pulled out a few more books on pagan gods for you."

Isabeau lets out a chuckle, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Nell nods, "No problem. Let me know if you need anything else."

Isabeau nods as Nell walks away. She looks at the pile of books and huffs, "This is gonna take hours."

She takes the book at the top of the pile and starts to flip through it, "Too many books… so little time."

"Hey." She looks over her shoulder, seeing Sam and Dean walking to her.

She smiles at them, "Hey."

Dean places a kiss on her forehead and after, Sam places one on her cheek. "Find anything yet?" Dean asks, taking a seat besides her, placing an arm over the back of her chair. Sam takes the seat across from her, and starts looking at her notes.

Isabeau shakes her head, "Nothing yet. Just a bunch of empty leads. When I think I'm onto something, I just get jack squat."

"So, nothing on this whole 'Mother' thing?" Sam asks, taking one of the books from the pile.

"I mean from what I've been reading, the majority of the gods and goddess way back worshiped a being even more powerful than themselves, known as 'Mother'."

"Like what the professor told us." Dean recalls.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah and it's not just in pagan religion. It's in all of them. This 'Mother' is mentioned everywhere."

"Some beliefs say she is the Mother of 'The Old Gods', others say that she was created to keep peace and harmony, and others say that without the 'Mother', the earth will slowly start to die and everything else living along with it." Sam reads from Isabeau's notes.

Isabeau leans back in her chair, "When it comes down to it, this 'Mother' character is uber powerful. Though I have no idea why the hell a pagan god would call me mother."

She pauses, "I'm pretty sure I would remember popping out a scarecrow god out of my vagina."

Dean almost let out a hearty laugh at Isabeau's bluntness and Sam just shakes his at her with a smile.

Isabeau shrugs innocently, "What? You know me. I'm blunt about stuff like that. I'm not exactly rated PG-13."

"We know you aren't, sweetheart." Dean says, still trying to stop himself from laughing.

"What about your new powers? Find anything on that?" Sam asks, directing the conversation back on track.

"Well, I called Mom before Dad could and she couldn't really tell me anything about that. The only way an elemental is able to control two elements is if both parents are different elementals. And since Dad is a witch, Mom has no clue. But she's looking into it." Isabeau explains to them.

She groans, rubbing her face, "And we have the demon on top of all of this." All of this was just starting to pile up. Millions of questions with no concrete answers to any of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the plot.
> 
> Also the character Oscar is a character that I have in store for a future series for Supernatural. We also find out that Isabeau's girls are her coven and um, let's just say Bartholmieu and his coven sort of has the same arrangement that Isabeau and her own coven has.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed!


	38. Hell House Pt.1

Dean is driving on the Interstate, he looks over in the backseat to see Isabeau laying out along the entirety of the seats, her back leaning against one of the doors with a book in her lap. She fell asleep reading whatever new book she grabbed at the small shop they stopped at a while ago.

Dean smiles at her, then looks over at the passenger seat and sees Sam sleeping with his mouth open. He feels around then gently places a plastic spoon in Sam's mouth. Grinning, he flips open his phone and takes a photo, then turns the music up loud.

"Fire...of unknown origins...took my baby away!" Dean starts to sing loudly.

Sam jerks up, realizes something is in his mouth, panics and waves his arms as he spits it out. Isabeau wakes up as well, looking around in confusion.

Dean air drums along to the song on the steering wheel then looks over, grinning as Sam wipes his mouth and turns down the music. "Ha ha, very funny." Sam says.

Dean laughs, "Sorry, not a lot of scenery here in East Texas, kinda gotta make your own."

Isabeau rubs at her eyes, "I'm dating two children." She whispers to herself.

"Man we're not kids anymore Dean. We're not going to start that crap up again." Sam tells him.

"Start what up?" Dean asks.

"That prank stuff. It's stupid, and it always escalates." Sam explains.

"Aw, what's the matter Sammy, scared you're going to get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?" Dean asks.

Isabeau leans forward, draping one arm over the front while she runs her fingers through Sam's hair with the other, "Please don't. I like his hair and I don't want to wake up to a bald Sam."

Sam takes her hand from his hand and gives it a quick kiss before addressing Dean, "All right, just remember you started it."

"Oh-ho, bring it on baldy." Dean chuckles.

"Leave me out of this." Isabeau says to Sam and Dean. She's been in the cross-fire of their pranks before and it wasn't pretty. Well, for them it wasn't. It was hilarious when both brothers woke up one morning to a Burmese python in their beds.

After that, both brothers knew not to mess with Isabeau when it came to pranks.

"Where are we anyway?" Sam asks.

"A few hours outside of Richardson. Gimme the lowdown again?"

Sam grabs a paper from the dashboard and reads, "All right, about a month or two ago this group of kids goes poking around in this local haunted house."

"Haunted by what?" Isabeau asks.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit. Legend goes, it takes girls and strings them up in the rafters. Anyway this group of kids see this dead girl hanging in the cellar."

"Anybody ID the corpse?" Dean asks.

"Well, that's the thing. By the time the cops got there the body was gone. So cops are saying the kids were just yanking chains." Sam explains.

"Maybe the cops are right."

"Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids firsthand accounts. They seemed pretty sincere."

"Where'd you read these accounts?" Isabeau asks.

Sam looks over at her, a little embarrassed, "Well, I knew we were going to be passing through Texas. So, umm, last night, I surfed some local…" He pauses, "...Paranormal websites. And I found one."

Isabeau smiles, "And what's it called?"

Sam chuckles, " "

Dean scoffs, "Lemme guess, streaming live out of Mom's basement."

Sam grins, "Yeah, probably."

"Yeah. Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the persqueeter." Dean says.

"Look. We let Dad take off. Which was a mistake, by the way. And now we don't know where the hell he is, so meantime we gotta find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checking this thing out." Sam explains.

Isabeau nods, "Plus Dad headed back home for the time being and he won't tell me jack squat… All right. So where do we find these kids?"

"Same place you always find kids in a town like this."

* * *

The impala pulls up at a fast food outlet called 'Rodeo Drive'.

They interviewed the people that were at the Hell House individually.

"It was the scariest thing I ever saw in my life, I swear to God." Guy number one says at an outside table.

"From the moment we walked in the walls were painted black." Guy number two says through the serving hatch.

"Red." Guy number on

"I think it was blood." A girl sitting at an inside table says.

"All these freaky symbols." Guy number one.

"Crosses and stars and…" Guy number two.

"Pentagons." Guy number one.

"Pentecostals." Guy number two.

"Whatever, I had my eyes closed the whole time." The girl says.

"But I can damn sure tell you this much. No matter what anybody else says…" Guy number one.

"That poor girl." The girl says.

"With the black…" Guy number two.

"Blonde…" Guy number one.

"Red hair, just hanging there." The girl says.

"Kicking!" Guy number one.

"Without even moving!" Guy number two.

"She was real." The girl says.

"One hundred percent." Guy number one.

"And kinda hot. Well you know in a dead sort of way." Guy number two says.

"Ok!" Isabeau says, looking at Sam and Dean with her eyes raised.

"And... how'd you find out about this place anyway?" Sam asks.

All three of the people they are interviewing are sitting together now. "Craig." They say simultaneously.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean enter a music shop and a guy comes out from behind the counter, "Fellas. Can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?" Sam asks.

"I am." Craig confirms.

"Well we're reporters with the Dallas Morning News. I'm Isabeau, this is Dean and Sam." Isabeau introduces themselves.

"No way. Well I'm a writer too. I write for my school's lit magazine." Craig says, continuing to put away music in their spots.

"Well, good for you Morrissey." Dean says, starting to look at the records.

"Um, we're doing an article on local hauntings, and rumor has it you might know of one." Sam says.

Craig pauses, "You mean the Hell House?"

Isabeau snaps her fingers, "That's the one."

Craig shakes his head, "I didn't think there was anything to the story."

"Why don't you tell us the story." Sam suggests.

Craig huffs, "Well, supposedly back in the '30s this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in this house with his six daughters."

Craig moves back to behind the counter, Sam follows as Dean and Isabeau look at the records, "It was during the Depression, his crops were failing, he didn't have enough money to feed his own children. So I guess that's when he went off the deep end."

"How?" Sam asks and Isabeau and Dean walk over.

Craig sighs, "Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick, rather than starve to death. So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop, but he just strung 'em up, one after the other. And when he was all finished he just turned around and hung himself. Now they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringing up any other girl that goes inside."

Dean nods, "Where'd you hear all this?"

"My cousin Dana told me. I don't know where she heard it from. Ya gotta realize, I - I didn't believe this for a second." Craig shrugs.

Isabeau nods, "But now you do."

"I don't know what the hell to think. You guys, I-I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, ok? That girl was real. And she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, ok?" Craig says.

Dean purses his lips, "Thanks."

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean slush up the muddy path to the Hell House. "Can't say I blame the kid." Isabeau says.

"Yeah, so much for curb appeal." Dean says.

The three look around and Sam and Isabeau come back toward Dean who is holding the EMF, which is making sounds.

"You got something?" Sam asks.

Dean taps the EMF, "Ye-ah. The EMFs no good."

"Why?"

Dean gestures at the overhead power lines, "I think that thing's still got a little juice in it. It's screwing with all the readings."

Isabeau looks back at it, "Yeah that'd do it."

"Yeah. Come on, let's go." Dean says, grabbing her hand.

They head inside and start looking around. Dean whistles, "Looks like old man Murdoch was a bit of a tagger here in his time."

"And after his time too. That reverse cross has been used by Satanists for centuries but this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the '60s." Sam explains.

Isabeau stares up at Sam with a fond smile. She loves his little random drops of knowledge. It was adorable.

Dean stares at Sam, "That is exactly why you never get laid."

Isabeau and Sam share a look as Dean drags her over to the other wall with him. "Hey what about this one, you seen this one before?" Dean says, gesturing at a symbol. It is a cross with a dot in the middle. The bottom stroke looks like an upside-down question mark.

"No." Sam says walking over and taking a picture of it.

Dean tilts his head at it curiously, "I have. Somewhere."

Isabeau removes her hand from Dean's and rubs the symbol, "It's paint. Seems pretty fresh too."

Dean steps away from Isabeau and Sam, "I don't know Sam. You know I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but ... the cops may be right about this one."

"Yeah, maybe." Sam says taking more photos.

A sudden noise has them on alert. They take up positions either side of a door; Dean on one side and Isabeau and Sam on the other.

Dean nods and they bust through and bright lights shine in their eyes, stopping them in their tracks.

"Oh, cut. It's just a coupla humans." One of the guys says. One guy holds a small electrical gadget, the other a camera which he switches off.

"What are you guys doing here?" The guy asks.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean asks.

"Ah-ha-uh. We belong here, we're professionals?"

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Professional what?"

"Paranormal Investigators." He hands Sam and Dean business cards, "There you go, take a look at that, boys."

He pulls out another one and flirtatiously smiles at Isabeau, "And one for the pretty lady." Isabeau takes the card and looks down at it.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Dean says reading the card.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spengler? . You guys run that website." Sam says.

"Yeah." Ed nods.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, we're huge fans." Dean says walking past them.

"And ahh, we know who you guys are too." Ed says.

Isabeau, Dean and Sam look at him sharply.

"Oh yeah?" Isabeau asks.

Ed clears his throat, "Amateurs." Dean immediately loses interest. "Looking for ghosts and cheap thrills."

"Yep. So if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here." Harry says.

Isabeau crosses her arms and tilts her head, "Yeah, what have you got so far?"

Ed smiles at her, "Harry, why doncha tell 'em about EMF?"

"Well…" Harry sighs.

"EMF?" Sam asks, playing dumb and trying not to smile.

"Electromagnetic field? Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector. Like this bad boy right here." Harry explains.

He turns it on. Dean smirks at Sam and Isabeau bites her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Whoa. Whoa. It's 2.8mg." Harry says, "2.8. It's hot in here."

"Wow." Sam comments.

Dean whistles in fake admiration, "Huh. So, have you guys ever really seen a ghost before, or…"

Ed nods, "Once. We were, uh...we were investigating this old house and we saw a vase fall right off the table…"

"By itself." Harry adds.

"Well, we, we didn't actually see it, we heard it. And something like that...it uh...it changes you."

Dean shakes his head, "Yeah. I think I get the picture. We should go, let them get back to work."

"Yeah, you should." Harry agrees.

"Sam. Isabeau." Dean says, walking over.

"Yeah, work." Ed giggles as Isabeau, Sam and Dean leave.

"I'm sorry. That pot we smoked gave me the giggles." Ed says to Harry.

* * *

Sam exits the public library and comes down the stairs as Dean and Isabeau approach.

"Hey." Sam greets them.

"Hey. What you got?" Isabeau asks.

Sam opens his book, "Well I couldn't find a Mordechai but I did find a Martin Murdock who lived in that house in the '30s. He did have children but only two of them, both boys, and there's no evidence he ever killed anyone."

"Huh." Dean says.

"What about you two?" Sam asks.

"Well those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl but I did hit up the police station. No matching missing persons. It's like she never existed." Isabeau explains as they walk over to the impala.

They stop, Dean at the drivers side and Sam and Isabeau next to the passenger side, "Dude, come on, we did our digging, man, this one's a bust all right. For all we know those HellHound boys made up the whole thing." Dean says.

Sam sighs, "Yeah all right."

"I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers and leave the legend to the locals." Dean gets into the car. Isabeau goes to open the door, but Sam stops her, wrapping an arm around her waist and leans down, smiling, to look in the window.

Isabeau purses her lips as Dean turns the key in the ignition. Latino pop-dance music blasts from the speakers; when Dean tries to turn it off, the wipers turn on.

Dean rears back, "WHOA! What the…" He quickly reaches to turn everything off.

Sam gestures for Isabeau to go in first. She does and then Sam gets in next to her, laughing. He licks his finger and marks an imaginary '1' in the air then points to himself.

Dean gives him a dirty look, "That's all you got? Weak."

Sam laughs again.

"That is bush-league."

Isabeau sighs, "I truly am dating two children."

* * *

Emergency vehicles and men move around outside of Hell House. A girl's body is bought out on a stretcher.

Dean, Sam and Isabeau approach a man standing outside. "What happened?" Dean asks.

"A coupla cops say that poor girl hung herself in the house." A man says.

"Suicide?" Isabeau asks.

The man nods, "Yeah. She was a straight-A student, with a full ride to UT too. It just don't make sense." He walks away.

"Whaddaya think?" Sam asks Dean and Isabeau.

"I think maybe we missed something." Dean says.

* * *

They went back to the Hell House at night, a police car is parked outside, two cops stand around. Isabeau, Sam and Dean crouch in the bushes.

"I guess the cops don't want anyone else screwing around in there." Sam says.

"Yeah, but we still gotta get in there." Dean says.

Isabeau hears whispers and twigs snapping and she peeks from their hiding place, "I don't believe it."

Sam and Dean spin to look. Ed and Harry are approaching: hunched over, wearing all sorts of gadgets, whispering and shh-ing each other.

Isabeau smirks, "I got an idea." She rises slightly, turns towards the cops, cups a hand to her mouth and lowers her voice by a few octaves, "Who ya gonna call!"

Ed and Harry pause in confusion, "Wha...huh?"

"Hey! You!" The cops call out.

The cops chase Ed and Harry back down the path. Laughing, Isabeau, Sam and Dean make a break for the house.

Once inside Sam breaks out the rifles, handing one to Dean and another to Isabeau.

Dean turns on a flashlight, "Where have I seen that symbol before? It's killing me!" He says looking at the painted symbol from before.

"Come on, we don't have much time." Sam says.

They go down to the basement and look around. Dean spies the jars and picks one up for a closer look. The pale red liquid sloshes around inside. "Hey, Sam. I dare you to take a swig of this."

Sam gives him a look, "The hell would I do that for?"

Dean grins, "...I double dare you."

Sam shakes his head, looking away and Dean continues to grin.

A noise has them all on alert and they move toward the cabinet. Dean and Sam stand in front of it with their guns raised. At Dean's nod, Isabeau opens the door. Rats squeak and run from the torchlight.

Dean lifts his feet, "Arghh! I hate rats."

Isabeau looks at him, "You'd rather it was a ghost?"

"Yes."

Behind Isabeau's head, Mordechai has appeared. The three realize at the same time and swing around to see Mordechai raising an axe above his head. Isabeau shoots him twice but he's still there. Sam and Dean shoot him again and he mists away.

"What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?" Isabeau exclaims.

"I dunno. Come on. Come on. come on!" Dean says.

As they run toward the stairs Mordechai smashes his axe down, catching the shelves and bringing the jars crashing down on Dean and Sam.

Mordechai and Isabeau begin fighting. Isabeau blocks Mordechai's swinging axe with her shotgun, just above her head, "Go! Get outta here!"

Dean and Sam make it up the stairs and Isabeau pushes Mordechai's axe away, fleeing to the stairs.

Mordechai smashes the electrical box where Isabeau once stood and sparks fly everywhere.

Dean, Sam and Isabeau bolt for the door.

* * *

Outside, Ed and Harry creep back toward the house. Harry raises his night vision goggles, "Maybe we should just get out of here."

"No. Would John Edward go? We've lost the cops, let's find our centre and get some work done. Ok? All right?" Ed says.

As they approach the porch, camera raised, Dean, Sam and Isabeau burst out. They fall through the emergency tape and roll down the steps, spring immediately to their feet and keep running.

"Get that damn thing outta my face!" Dean yells at them.

"Move it!" Isabeau yells.

"Go! Go! Go!" Sam screams as the three of them run away.

Ed and Harry are still facing the door and see Mordechai lurk. "Sweet Lord…"

"...of the rings. RUN! Go! Go! Go!" Harry screams.

They turn to flee and run straight into the arms of the cops. "Look, there's a...look. There's a man over there...I saw...where'd he go?" Harry says.

The cops grab their collars, "Boys, come on."


	39. Hell House Pt.2

Dean is sitting on the bed in their motel room, drawing the symbol from earlier in Isabeau's sketchbook while Isabeau and Sam are researching.

"What the hell is this symbol? It's buggin' the hell outta me. This whole damn job's buggin' me. I thought the legend said Mordechai only goes after chicks." Dean asks.

Isabeau glances over at him, "It does."

"All right. Well I mean that explains why he went after you, but why us?" Dean asks.

Isabeau shrugs, "The legend also says he hung himself, but did you see those slit wrists?"

"Yeah."

Sam nods, "What's up with that? And the axe too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?"

"But this mook keeps changing." Dean says.

Sam clicks away on his laptop, "Exactly. I'm telling ya, the way the story goes ... wait a minute."

"What?" Dean asks.

Sam turns the laptop so Isabeau can see it as he reads from it, "Someone added a new post to the Hell Hound site. Listen to this. 'They say Mordechai Murdock was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity."

Still staring at the symbol he has drawn, Dean suddenly sits straight up.

Isabeau leans back in her chair, "Where the hell is this going?"

"I don't know but I think I might have just figured out where it all started." Dean says and Isabeau and Sam look over at him as he gets up.

* * *

Back at the music store, Craig is sitting at the counter looking depressed. He gets up from the counter and walks deeper into the store.

"Hey Craig? Remember us?" Dean asks as the three of them enter.

Craig turns to look at them, "Guys, look, I'm really not in the mood to answer any of your questions, ok?"

"Oh don't worry. We're just here to buy an album, that's all." Dean flicks through and picks up an album.

Dean speaks to Sam and Isabeau as they approach the Craig, "You know I couldn't figure out what that symbol was and then I realized that it doesn't mean anything. It's the logo for the Blue Oyster Cult."

"Tell me Craig, you, uh, you into BOC?" Dean asks and Craig turns around, "Or just scaring the hell outta people?" He hands Craig the album.

"Now why don't you tell us about that house ... without lying through your ass this time." Isabeau smiles at him.

Craig sighs, "All right, um. My cousin Dana was on break from TCU. Ah, I guess we were just bored, looking for something to do. So I showed her this abandoned dump I found. We thought it would be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So we painted symbols on the walls, some from some albums, some from some of Dana's theology textbooks."

"Then we found out this guy Murdock used to live there so we ...we made up some story to go along with that. So they told people, who told other people. And then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own."

Craig shakes his head, "I mean I, I thought it was funny at first but... now that girl's dead! It was just a joke, you know. I mean, none of it was real, we made the whole thing up. I swear!"

Sam nods, "All right." He says softly.

Dean clears his throat and the three turn to leave.

"If none of it was real, how the hell do you explain Mordechai?" Dean asks Isabeau and Sam.

* * *

Isabeau sits in the chair in the corner of the room, reading one of her books with sounds of the shower running from the bathroom near her.

Dean enters, smiling at Isabeau, giving her a kiss on the forehead and walks over to Sam's bed. Isabeau smiles at him before going back to her book, not paying attention to what Dean was doing.

He lifts a packet labelled 'Itching Powder', "Hey, I'm back." Dean calls out to Sam.

"Hey, where were you?" Sam asks from the bathroom.

"Oh, I went out." Dean picks up Sam's underwear from the bed and shakes the content of the packet onto it.

"So I think we might have a theory about what's going on." Sam's voice echoes from the bathroom.

Dean is still shaking the packet, "Oh yeah?" Isabeau furrows her brow at Dean. She can't see what Dean is doing.

"Yeah. What if Mordechai is a Tulpa?"

"Tulpa?"

Sam emerges from the bathroom, wearing only a towel around his waist, "Yeah, a Tibetan thought form."

Dean swings around hastily, "Ahh, yeah, I know what a Tulpa is. Hey why don't you get dressed, I wanna go grab something to eat."

Dean enters the bathroom, smiling at Sam as he closes the door. Sam watches then turns to pick up his underwear.

He pauses looking over at Isabeau who forms her hands into a makeshift telescope, looking at Sam up and down. She lets out a whistle, "What if that towel of yours were to magically disappear?"

* * *

The three head to the fast food outlet where they interviewed the kids from before. "There you go, gents."

Dean takes their two coffees and Isabeau's tea, "Thank you."

They make their way to the table where Isabeau is waiting for them, Sam is grimacing and adjusting his jeans.

Dean watches him, "Dude what's your problem?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Sam answers.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Dean hands Isabeau her drink and the two brothers sit at the table with her, "So, ahhh, all right keep going. What about these Tulpas?"

Isabeau takes a sip of her drink before answering, "Ok, so, there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. Group of monks visualized a golem in their head. They meditated on it so hard they bought the thing to life. Outta thin air."

"So?" Dean asks, taking a sip of his own coffee.

Sam chuckles, "That was 20 monks. Imagine what 10,000 web surfers could do. I mean, Craig starts the story about Mordechai, then it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bastard." Sam takes out his laptop, clicking away.

"Now wait a second. Are you trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?" Dean asks.

Sam glances at him, uncomfortable, "I don't know. Maybe."

Isabeau watches Sam with concern.

"People believe in Santa Claus - how come I'm not getting hooked up every Christmas?" Dean asks.

"Cause you're a bad person. And because of this…" Sam turns his laptop, showing Dean a photo of one of the Hell House symbols.

Isabeau leans over, "That's a Tibetan spirit sigil. On the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet they painted this, not even knowing what it was."

Sam continues, "Now that sigil has been used for centuries, concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So people are on the HellHounds website, staring at the symbol, thinking about Mordechai ... I mean I don't know, but it might be enough to bring a Tulpa to life."

"It would explain why he keeps changing." Dean takes a sip of his coffee.

Sam grimaces and adjusts himself again, "Right, as the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes. Like a game of telephone. That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work."

"Yeah because he's not a traditional spirit."

Sam still fidgets, "Yeah."

"Ok, So why don't we just...uhh ... get this spirit sigil thingie off the wall and off the website?" Dean asks.

Isabeau shrugs, "Well it's not that simple. You see, once Tulpas are created they take on a life of their own."

Dean rubs his face, "Great. All right, so if he really is a thought form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?"

Sam continues to itch and adjust, "Well it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us. Check out their homepage."

Sam shows Dean footage from the previous night. "Since they've posted the video their number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone."

"Hmph. I got an idea. Come on." Dean picks up his coffee.

Isabeau closes Sam's laptop, "Where we going?"

"We gotta find a copy store." Dean says and they rise to go.

Sam gets up, still itching and putting his laptop away, "Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or something."

Dean laughs as he walks away. Isabeau and Sam stare at him. "You did this?" Sam asks.

Isabeau's eyes widen, "Itching powder." She shakes her head at him.

Dean continues laughing.

"You're a friggin jerk!" Sam exclaims.

"Oh yeah." Dean says triumphantly. Sam grabs his bag and coffee, him and Isabeau following Dean.

* * *

Ed and Harry sit in their trailer with all their equipment. "No, no, no, forget it. Forget it! I'm not going back in there again." Harry says.

Ed snaps his fingers, "Harry. Look at me. Right here. Ok? You are a ghost hunter, ok?"

"I know but, Ed, I've never seen a real ghost before Ed, like a real ghost, an apparition!" Harry freaks out.

"This stuff here...this is our ticket to the big time right here. Fame, money, sex. With girls. OK? Be brave. W.W.B.D. What Would Buffy Do? Huh?" Ed asks.

Harry nods and whispers, "What Would Buffy Do? I know, but, Ed, she's stronger than me."

"It's ok."

There is a pounding on the door. Harry jumps a foot in the air and squeals, "Who is it?"

"Come on out here guys, we hear you in there." Dean says from outside.

"It's them!" Ed says. They stick their heads out the door.

"Ah, would you look at that! Action figures in their original packaging - what a shock." Dean comments.

"Guys, we need to talk." Sam says.

"Yeah, um, sorry guys. We're ahhh, a little bit busy right now." Ed says as him and Harry step out of the trailer.

Dean nods, "Ok well we'll make it quick. We need you to shut down your website."

Ed laughs and turns to Harry, "Man, you know, these guys got us busted last night, spent the night in a holding cell…"

"I had to pee in that cell urinal. In front of people. And I get stage fright." Harry points at them. Isabeau grimaces at that statement. She's gonna have to wash out her brain later.

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed asks.

Sam sighs, "Look, guys. We all know what we saw last night, what's in the house. But now thanks to your website there are thousands of people hearing about Mordechai."

"That's right. Which means people are gonna keep showing up at the Hell House, running into him in person, somebody could get hurt." Dean says.

Ed nods, "Yeah, yeah…"

"Ed, maybe he's got a point, maybe..." Harry starts.

"Nope…"

"No."

"We have an obligation to our fans, to the truth." Ed tells them.

Dean chuckles, "Well, I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now-"

Isabeau places a hand on his chest, "Dean, Dean, hey, hey, just, forget it, all right? These guys…" She sighs, "You could probably bitch slap them both, I could probably even tell them that thing about Mordechai... but they're still not gonna help us. Let's just go."

"Whoa.. whoa…" Ed and Harry look at her.

"Yeah, you're right." Dean agrees.

Sam, Isabeau and Dean start to walk away, Ed and Harry trailing behind. "What you say about...?" Ed asks.

"Hang on a second here." Harry says.

"Wait...wait."

"What thing about Mordechai, you guys?" Harry asks.

"Don't tell 'em, Isabeau." Dean tells her.

"But if they agree to shut the website down, Dean." Isabeau starts.

"They're not going to do it, you said so yourself."

"No wait. Wait. Don't listen to him, ok? We'll do it. We'll do it." Ed says. Isabeau and Sam hold back a smile. The three stop at the impala and turn to Ed and Harry.

"It's a secret, Isabeau." Sam reminds her with a hint of a smile.

Isabeau sighs and looks at Ed and Harry, "Look, it is a really big deal all right. And it wasn't easy to dig up. So only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down."

"Totally." Ed smiles at her.

Dean and Sam give her a look. Isabeau nods, "All right."

Dean hands them some paperwork.

"It's a death certificate. From the '30s. We got it at the library. Now according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound." Isabeau explains.

"That's right he didn't hang or cut himself." Dean confirms.

"He shot himself?" Harry asks.

Sam nods, "Yep. With a .45 pistol. To this day they say he's terrified of them."

"Matter of fact they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds - you'd kill the son of a bitch." Dean says.

Ed and Harry snigger gleefully. Harry spins and bolts back toward the trailer, Ed follows more slowly.

"Harry. Slow your roll buddy. They're gonna know we're excited."

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean are sitting in a booth in a small cafe. Sam is looking at his laptop, Isabeau and Dean sit across from him.

Dean reaches up to the 3D artwork of a fisherman holding a big fish and pulls the cord. The fisherman's mouth moves up and down and an extremely annoying laugh plays.

Sam pulls the cord to stop it, "If you pull that string one more time I'm gonna kill you."

Dean, deadpan, stares at Sam while pulling the cord again. Sam immediately stops it, glaring at Dean.

Dean snickers, "Come on man, you need more laughter in your life. You know you're way too tense."

Sam gives Dean another dirty look, taking a sip of his beer.

Isabeau looks over at Dean, "Dean, even I want to take that thing out back and burn it. First time, it's funny. Second time, not so much. Third time… that thing is going to be nothing but char."

Dean snorts at her, draping an arm across her shoulders, pulling her close, then sighs, "They post it yet?" He asks Sam.

Sam moves the laptop around so Dean and Isabeau can see it and stabs at his salad angrily. Isabeau hides a smile behind the mouth of her beer, taking a sip.

Dean reads from the site, "We've learned from reputable sources that Mordechai Murdock has a fatal fear of firearms. All right. How long do we wait?"

Sam closes his laptop, "Long enough for the new story to spread, and the legend to change. I figure by nightfall iron rounds will work on the sucker."

Sam holds his beer out to Dean, who lifts his own and taps it, "Sweet."

Dean takes a long drink and Sam starts grinning. Isabeau rolls her eyes, still sipping on her own. Though she watches on with interest, waiting to see what prank Sam is pulling on Dean.

Dean goes to put the bottle down but it is stuck to his hand. Sam cracks up as Dean stares at it, confused. "You didn't."

Sam laughs and holds up super glue, "Oh, I did!"

Dean shakes his hand while Sam, laughing, pulls the string to set the fisherman laughing again.

Isabeau snorts and Dean gives her a dirty look.

"What?" Isabeau shrugs innocently with a smile, "Oh come on… That was hilarious."

* * *

Isabeau, Dean and then Sam enter the Hell House on alert, guns drawn, and begin a methodical search, staying back to back.

Dean readjusts his gun hand, "I barely have any skin left on my palm." He says, snarky.

"I'm not touching that line with a ten foot pole." Sam says.

Dean shines his flashlight in Sam' face until he winces, then moves into the other room. Sam and Isabeau follow.

"So you think old Mordechai's home?" Isabeau asks the brothers.

"I don't know." Sam answers.

"Me neither." Ed says from behind them.

Sam, Isabeau and Dean spin, pointing their guns at Ed and Harry.

Ed and Harry hold their hands up in defense, "WHOA! WHOA!" Ed exclaims.

"What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" Sam asks.

"We're just trying to get a book and movie deal, ok?" Ed answers.

Isabeau shakes her head at them, "Morons."

From the basement comes the sound of knives being sharpened. Isabeau, Sam and Dean are immediately back on alert.

"Oh crap." Ed and Harry crowd in close behind the three with their camera.

"Ah guys, you wanna ... you wanna open that door for us?" Ed asks.

"Why don't you?" Dean jabs.

Mordechai bursts through the door holding an axe and screaming. The three empty their gun chambers.

Mordechai holds on, then wavers and disappears into mist. Isabeau, Sam and Dean wait a beat, then take off to ensure the other rooms are clear.

"Oh God. He's gone. He's gone." Ed breathes out.

"Did you get him?" Harry asks.

"Oh, yeah they got him." Ed answers.

Harry points at the camera, "No, on camera. Did you get him on camera?"

"Ah, ah, I…" Ed stutters.

"Let me see it, let me see it." Harry takes the camera and flips it open. Mordechai appears, slams his axe through the camera, forcing Harry to the ground and disappears again.

Dean runs in, "Hey! Didn't you guys post that B.S. story we gave you?"

"Of course we did." Ed answers

Sam and Isabeau appear in the other door, guns at the ready.

"But then our server crashed." Harry adds.

"Yeah." Ed confirms.

"So it didn't take?" Dean asks.

Ed and Harry stutter, "Uh...mmm..."

"So, these guns don't work."

"Yeah." Ed says.

Dean smiles bitterly, "Great. Sam, Isabeau, any ideas?" Sam and Isabeau glance at each, neither of them can think of anything.

"We are getting outta here. Come on, Ed." Harry says, grabbing Ed.

Harry and Ed run past Dean to the other room, where Mordechai appears again. Screaming, they run to the front door but it is locked. Mordechai follows them.

"Mother Mary and Joseph." Harry whispers out.

"The power of Christ compels you. The power of Christ compels you!" Ed screams/

Isabeau comes up behind Mordechai, "Hey! Come and get it you ugly son of a bitch."

Mordechai swings his axe at Isabeau, who ducks just in time.

He removes his axe from the wall, swinging down again, but Isabeau catches it with her hands. Mordechai overpowers her and pins her against the wall, axe across her throat, "Get out of here now!" She screams at Ed and Harry.

The two run past, "We're out of here…" Ed says.

Dean and Sam are in the other room splashing kerosene everywhere.

Mordechai lifts Isabeau off her feet with the pressure of the axe at her throat. "Dean! Sam!" She gasps, not being able to breath.

Dean and Sam appear. "HEY!" Dean screams.

Dean holds up a spray bottle and lights the gas, a plume of fire appears.

"Go! Go! Go!" Sam yells at her.

Isabeau runs past them, Dean and Sam follow. Sam pulls Isabeau as she stops and leans over, holding her throat.

"Mordechai can't leave the house, we can't kill him. We improvise." Sam says to her.

Dean holds up his lighter, flicks it, and throws it back into the room. It bursts into flame and the three run outside.

"That's your solution? Burn the whole damn place to the ground?" Isabeau asks when they're a safe distance away.

"Well nobody will go in anymore. I mean look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty but it works." Dean explains.

"Well what if the legend changes again and Mordechai _is_ allowed to leave the house?" Isabeau asks.

"Well… well then we'll just have to come back." Sam tells her.

They watch the house burn. "Kinda makes you wonder. Of all the things we hunted, how many existed just cause people believed in them."

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean are hanging out by a picnic table at the trailer park. Ed and Harry approach carrying grocery bags. "I was thinking that Mordechai has a really super high attack bonus." Harry says.

"Man I got the munchies right now." Ed says, and then notices, Isabeau, Sam and Dean, "Gentlemen… Milady."

Isabeau frowns, "Milady?" She whispers to herself.

"Hey guys." Sam greets them.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asks Ed as the two walk away. Isabeau, Dean and Sam follow them.

"Hey, might as well, you know, they're going to read about it in the trades." Ed says.

"So this morning we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer." Harry tells them.

"Oh yeah, wrong number?" Dean asks.

"No, smart-ass. He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights. Maybe even have us write it." Ed says.

They place their grocery bags into a totally overloaded car, "And create the RPG." Harry says.

"The what?" Dean asks.

Isabeau chuckles, "Role-playing game."

Harry and Ed stare at Isabeau with adoration, "Wow." Ed smiles at her.

Dean gives Ed a forceful smile, hooking an arm around Isabeau's waist, "Right."

Ed shakes his head, "A little lingo for you. Anyhoo, ahhh, excuse us, we're off to la-la land."

Sam nods, "Well congratulations, guys. That sounds really great."

"Yeah. That's awesome, best of luck to you." Dean says.

"Oh yeah, luck. That has nothing to do with it. It's about talent. Sheer unabashed talent." Ed says. He pulls out a card and hands it to Isabeau with a wink, "When you hang out with real men."

Isabeau purses her lips together, taking it, trying hard not to laugh. She coughs, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

They all nod at each other.

Ed gives them the peace sign, "Later." They get in the car and start pulling off.

Ed takes off his glasses, trying to make himself seem cool, "See ya round…"

Dean shakes his head, watching them leave, "Wow." They start walking back to the impala.

"I have a confession to make." Isabeau says, twirling the card in between her fingers.

"What's that?" Dean asks.

"I, uh… I was the one that called them and told them I was a producer." Isabeau says with a chuckle.

Sam looks at her laughing as she burns the card in her hand with her fire, "I thought no pranks?"

Isabeau shrugs, throwing the burnt paper onto the ground, "Not to you guys, but to those two morons? How could I pass up that opportunity?"

Dean laughs, "Yeah, well we're the ones who put the dead fish in their back seat." All three of them laugh.

"Truce?" Sam asks Dean as Isabeau walks up to Sam.

"Yeah, truce. At least for the next 100 miles." Dean says.

They climb into the impala, Isabeau sits in the middle of both of them. Dean drapes an arm over Isabeau's shoulder as Sam holds onto her hand. Dean blasts rock music and takes off.

"Just do me a favor?" Isabeau asks.

"Yeah?" Sam and Dean say in unison.

"One prank on me, and that snake will be making a comeback."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Hell House done! I think this is the first time that Isabeau hasn't used her powers at all... wow. Hope you all enjoyed!


	40. Something Wicked Pt.1

The impala cruises down a country road. "Yeah. You probably missed something, that's what." Dean says.

"Dean, we ran LexisNexis, local police reports, newspapers, we couldn't find a single red flag. Are you sure you got the coordinates right?" Isabeau asks from in between them.

Dean nods, "Yeah, I double checked. It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Dad wouldn't have sent us coordinates if it wasn't important, Isabeau."

Sam gets frustrated, "Well I'm telling you, we looked and all we could find was a big steamy pile of nothing. If Dad's sending us hunting for something I don't know what."

"Well maybe he's going to meet us there." Dean suggests.

Sam scoffs, "Yeah, 'Cause he's been so easy to find up to this point."

Dean glances at him, "You're a real smart ass you know that?... Don't worry I'm sure there's something in Fitchburg worth killing."

Isabeau raises a brow at him, "Yeah? What makes you so sure."

Dean glances at her with a smile, "Cause I'm the oldest, which means I'm always right."

"No it doesn't." Sam says.

"It totally does." Dean glances at Sam again, then looks back at the road with a little grin. The impala cruises past the sign for Fitchburg, population 20,501.

* * *

Sam leans against the impala staring ahead. Dean and Isabeau cross the road to him, Dean holding two coffees and Isabeau holding her tea.

Dean hands Sam his coffee, "Well...the waitress thinks the local freemasons are up to something sneaky but other than that no one's heard about anything freaky going on."

"Dean, you got the time?" Sam asks.

Dean looks at his watch, "Ten after Four. Why?"

"What's wrong with this picture?" Sam indicates the playground ahead. It's deserted, only one child climbing around.

"School's out isn't it?" Dean asks.

Isabeau steps forward, tilting her head, "Yeah. So where is everybody? This place should be crawling with kids right now."

Usually when Isabeau would pick up her little brothers from elementary school, there would be laughter and joyful screams from the children. It felt wrong not to see any at a playground.

A woman sits on a park bench reading a magazine and Dean and Isabeau approach. "Sure is quiet out here." Isabeau says.

The woman glances up at the two, "Yeah, it's a shame."

"Why is that?" Dean asks.

"You know, kids getting sick, it's a terrible thing."

Isabeau nods, "How many?"

"Just five or six but, serious, hospital serious. A lot of parents are getting pretty anxious. They think it's catching." The woman explains.

Isabeau felt her heart ache as they watch the little girl playing by herself.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean enter the Dane County Memorial Hospital, dressed in their suits and approach the reception desk.

Sam reads his ID, "Dude. Dude, I am not using this ID."

"Why not?" Dean asks.

"Cause it says bikini inspector on it!"

Isabeau snorts, "Real mature."

Dean grins, " Don't worry she won't look that close all right? Hell, she won't even ask to see it. It's all about confidence, Sammy."

He spins Sam to face the desk and keeps walking with Isabeau. The receptionist looks up.

"Hi. I'm Doctor Jerry Caplin, Centers for Disease Control." Sam says.

"Can I see some ID?" The receptionists asks.

Further down the corridor Dean snickers and Isabeau swats his arm with a smile.

Sam throws Dean a dirty look, "Yeah, of course."

Sam quickly flashes the ID, holding his thumb over part of it, "Now could you direct me to the pediatrics ward please?"

"Okay well, just go down that hall, turn left and up the stairs."

Sam approaches a grinning Dean, giving a major bitchface. Isabeau bites her lip, holding back a smile.

Dean still grins, "See? I told you it would work."

Sam glares at Dean and shakes his head irritably, "Follow me. It's upstairs."

They head up the stairs, Isabeau, Sam and Dean walk down the corridor.

Dean looks into a room they pass. An old evil looking woman sitting in a wheelchair slowly turns her head to look at him. An inverted cross hangs on her wall.

"Dean." Isabeau says, she and Sam are waiting for him.

Dean follows them, glancing back toward the room.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean walk down a hospital corridor with a doctor. "Well, thanks for seeing us, Dr. Hydecker." Dean says.

"Well I'm glad you guys are here. I was just about to call CDC myself. How'd you find out anyways?" Dr. Hydecker asks.

Isabeau shoves her hands into her dress pants pockets, "Oh, some GP, I forget his name, he called Atlanta and, uh, he must've beat you to the punch."

"So you say you got six cases so far?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, five weeks." Dr. Hydecker stops just outside one of the children's room and turns to them, "At first we thought it was garden variety bacterial pneumonia. Not that newsworthy. But now…" The three stare at the sleeping child hooked up to the machines.

"Now what?" Sam asks, him and Dean turning back, but Isabeau continues to stare with a small frown.

"The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep going down. Their immune systems just aren't doing their job. It's like their bodies are ... wearing out." Dr. Hydecker explains.

"Excuse me, Dr Hydecker." A nurse hands him some forms to look over and sign.

"You ever see anything like this before?" Isabeau asks, looking back at the doctor.

"Never this severe." He responds.

"And the way it spreads...that's a new one for me." The nurse adds.

"What do you mean?" Sam asks.

"It works its way through families. But only the children, one sibling after another." The nurse explains.

"You mind if we interview a few of the kids?" Dean asks.

"They're not conscious."

Isabeau's face falls, "None of them?"

The nurse shakes her head, "No."

"Can we, uh, can we talk to the parents?" Dean asks.

Dr. Hydecker sighs, "Well, if you think it'll help."

Dean nods, "Yeah. Who was your most recent admission?"

* * *

A man sits on a chair against the wall in the hospital waiting room, Sam, Isabeau and Dean stand in front of him. "I should get back to my girls." The man says.

Sam nods, "We understand that, and we really appreciate you talking to us. Now you say Mary is the oldest?"

The man nods, "Thirteen."

"Ok. And she came down with it first, right? And then…"

"Bethany, the next night."

Isabeau takes a breath, "Within 24 hours?"

"I guess. Look, I, uh, I already went through all this with the doctor." The man says.

"Just a few more questions if you don't mind. How do you think they caught pneumonia? Were they out in the cold, anything like that?" Dean asks.

"No. We think it was an open window."

"Both times?"

The man sighs, "The first time, I, I don't really remember but the second time for sure. And I know I closed it before I put Bethany to bed."

"So you think she opened it?" Sam asks.

"It's a second story window with a ledge. No one else could've."

* * *

Sam, Isabeau and Dean walk back down the corridor. "You know this might not be anything supernatural. It might just be pneumonia." Sam says.

"Maybe. Or maybe something opened that window. I don't know man, look, Dad sent us down down here for a reason. I think we might be barking up the right tree." Dean says.

Isabeau sighs, "I'll tell you one thing."

Dean stops to look at her, "What?"

"That guy we just talked to? I'm betting it'll be awhile before he goes home."

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean check Bethany's room dressed in their regular clothing. Dean has his EMF out, Sam has a black-light and Isabeau is ghosting her hands over the objects in the room.

"You got anything over there?" Sam asks.

"Nah, nothing." Dean says.

"Yeah, me neither. Beau?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "Nothing yet."

They keep checking and Isabeau moves to the window, "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah."

Isabeau opens the window and stares down at the windowsill. She scoffs, "You were right. It's not pneumonia."

Dean and Sam come over and they stare at a hand-print rotted into the wood.

"It's rotted. What the hell leaves a hand-print like that?" Sam asks.

Dean stands at the window, looking a little sick, "I know why Dad sent us here. He's faced this thing before. He wants us to finish the job."

Isabeau and Sam look at him in confusion.

* * *

The impala pulls up to a motel office and they get out. "So what the hell is a shtriga?" Sam asks.

"It's ... kinda like a witch, I think. I don't know much about 'em." Isabeau explains with a shrug.

"Well, I've never heard of it. And it's not in Dad's journal." Sam says.

Dean opens the trunk, "Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin, about 16, 17 years ago. You were there. You don't remember?"

Sam shakes his head, "No."

"And I guess he caught wind of the things in Fitchburg now and kicked us the coordinates."

"So wait, this…"

"Shtriga." Dean finishes.

Sam nods, "Right. You think it's the same one Dad hunted before?

Dean closes the trunk, "Yeah, maybe.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "But if John went after it why is it still breathing air?"

"Cause it got away." Dean says walking to the motel office door.

"Got away?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, Sammy, it happens." Dean says, starting to get frustrated.

"Not very often."

"Well I don't know what to tell ya, maybe Dad didn't have his wheaties that morning."

Sam stares at him, "What else do you remember?"

"Nothin'. I was a kid all right?" Dean says defensively, walking into the motel office.

Isabeau and Sam share a look and Isabeau shrugs, leaning against the impala.

Dean enters reception and rings the bell. A boy of around 10-12 years old comes from the back room where a younger boy sits watching TV.

"A king or two queens?" The boy asks.

Dean glances back at Isabeau and Sam, "Two queens." It was Sam's night to sleep with Isabeau.

The boy follows his look, seeing Sam brushing Isabeau's hair behind her ear with a smile, and he snickers under his breath, "Yeah I bet."

"What'd you say?" Dean asks.

The boy smiles, "Nice car."

A woman enters, smiling at them both, "Hi." She greets.

Dean looks back, "Hi."

"Checking in?" She asks.

"Yeah."

The woman nods and turns to her son, "Ahh, do me a favor, go get your brother some dinner."

"I'm helping a guest." He says.

She gives him a look and he grimaces and turns to go. "Two queens." The boy emphasizes 'queens' while raising his eyebrow at Dean.

"Funny kid." Dean gives a fake laugh

"Oh, yeah. He thinks so. Will that be cash or credit?" She asks.

"You take MasterCard?" Dean asks. She nods. "Perfect. Here you go." He places his card on the counter.

Dean watches through the door as the boy pours a glass of milk for his younger brother.

The woman holds out his card, "Sir?"

Dean blinks, coming back to reality, "Thanks."

* * *

In their motel room, Isabeau is on the laptop with Sam sitting next to her, looking over her shoulder, "Well, you were right." She chuckles, "It wasn't very easy to find but you were right… and so was I… kind of." She waves her hands, "Anyway, Shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about them trace back to Ancient Rome. They feed off spiritus vitae."

"Spiri-what?" Dean asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Vitae." Sam says, "It's Latin, translates to 'breath of life'. Kinda like your life force or essence."

Dean nods, "Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearing out?"

Isabeau sighs, "It's a thought. you know she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone but they prefer…"

"Children." Dean finishes.

Sam nods, "Yeah. Probably because they have stronger life force. And get this. Shtrigas are '...invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man.'"

Dean sighs, walking over to his bed, "No, that's not right. She's vulnerable when she feeds."

"What?"

"If you catch her when she's eating you can blast her with consecrated wrought iron. Ahhh... buckshot or rounds I think." Dean explains, taking a book from his bag and goes back to his spot.

Isabeau narrows her eyes at him, "How do you know that?"

"Dad told me. I remember." Dean says.

Sam blinks, "Oh. Huh. So uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?"

Dean glances over, "Nope, that's it."

Sam and Isabeau keep staring at Dean.

"What?" Dean asks them.

Sam shakes his head, "Nothing."

He moves closer to Isabeau so that half of his chest was pressing up against her back and hooked one of his arms around her middle, clicking on the computer, "Okay. So, assuming we can kill it when it eats we still gotta find the thing first, which ain't gonna be a cakewalk. Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting."

"What kinda human disguise?"

Isabeau purses her lips, "Historically, something innocuous. Could be anything, but it's usually a feeble old woman, which might be how the witches-as-old-crones legend got started… Thank god it's not true, I'd look terrible with warts and a crooked nose."

Dean picks up a map from the table, "Hang on."

"What?" Sam asks.

"Check this out." Dean gestures them over. Sam and Isabeau get up from the bed and walk over as Dean lays the map down on the counter, "I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now these are the houses that have been hit so far, and dead center?" Dean asks.

"The hospital." Sam states.

"The hospital. Now when we were there I saw a patient, an old woman." Dean says.

Isabeau raises a brow at him, "An old person, huh?"

"Yeah."

"In a hospital? Phew." Sam shakes his head and snickers, "Better call the Coast Guard." He turns, going over to make himself a cup of coffee.

"Well listen, smart-ass, she had an inverted cross hanging on her wall." Dean tells him.

Sam quickly looks up, serious. Isabeau immediately starts to play with her rosary, staring at Dean.

Dean raises an eyebrow at them.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean walk down one of the hospital hallways, quickly ducking back when they see Dr. Hydecker.

"Goodnight, Dr Hydecker." The nurse says.

"See you tomorrow, Betty." Dr. Hydecker says.

"Try to get some sleep."

Dean, Isabeau and Sam hide until Dr. Hydecker passes, then continues on to the old woman's room.

They open the door and sneak in, Dean taking the front, Isabeau in the middle and Sam hanging back, guns drawn. The woman is in her wheelchair facing toward the corner. She seems to be sleeping.

Dean slowly leans in closer and closer to her face.

The old woman turns her head, "Who the hell are you?!"

Dean freaks, leaping back against the wall, pulling his gun up. Isabeau and Sam put their guns away.

"Who's there? You trying to steal my stuff?" The old woman asks.

Sam turns the light on; the old woman has cataracts. "They're always stealing around here." The old woman grumbles to herself.

Isabeau clears her throat, "No! Ah, ma'am, we're maintenance. We're sorry. We thought you were sleeping."

Dean rubs a hand over his face, pulling himself together.

"Ahhh, nonsense. I was sleeping with my peepers open." The old woman laughs, then gestures at the wall, "And fix that crucifix, would ya? I've asked four damn times already!"

Dean, still looking slightly freaked out, jogs the crucifix and it swings the right way up.


	41. Something Wicked Pt.2

The impala pulls up to the motel parking lot and Sam, Isabeau and Dean get out.

Isabeau laughs, "'I was sleeping with my peepers open?' Oh, that's a good one!" Sam laughs along with her.

"I almost smoked that old gal, I swear. It's not funny!" Dean tells them.

Sam still laughs, "Oh man, you shoulda seen your face, Dean." He takes out the keys to the motel, starting to unlock it.

"Yeah, laugh it off. Now we're back to square one." Dean says deadpan.

He sees the owner's son sitting behind the office looking forlorn, "Hang on."

Sam and Isabeau look in the same direction of Dean, all three of them walk over to the boy.

"Hey what's wrong?" Dean asks him, crouching down. Sam and Isabeau follow suit.

The boy turns to him, his eyes bloodshot, "My brother's sick." Isabeau's face drops for the second time since they've been on this hunt. It broke her heart to see children like this. She couldn't even think how she would react if something happened to one of her little brothers.

"The little guy?" Dean asks.

The boy nods, "Pneumonia. He's in the hospital. It's my fault."

"Ah c'mon, how?"

The boy sniffles, "I shoulda made sure the window was latched. He wouldn't have got pneumonia if the window was latched."

Dean looks away for a moment. Sam watches him, frowning thoughtfully.

Dean turns back to the boy, "Listen to me. I can promise you that this is not your fault. Okay?"

B"It's my job to look after him."

Sam looks back and forth from Dean to the kid.

His mother hurries out of the motel toward her car, "Michael, I want you to turn on the no vacancy sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service so don't bother with any of the rooms."

The three stand from their crouched positions, watching on.

Michael gets up from his seat, "I'm going with you."

"Not now, Michael." His mother tells him.

"But I gotta see Asher!"

"Hey Michael. Hey. I know how you feel. I'm a big brother too, but you gotta go easy on your Mom right now, ok?" Dean tells him.

Michael's mom drops her handbag in her haste, "Dammit!"

"I got it." Isabeau tells her, picking up and hanging back her bag.

"Thanks."

"Listen, you're in no condition to drive. Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital? "Dean offers.

Michael's mom shakes her head, "No, I couldn't possibly…"

"No, it's no trouble. I insist."

She hands her the keys to her car, "Thanks." She turns to Michael, "Be good."

The mom climbs into the passenger seat. Dean closes the door for her and then turns to Sam and Isabeau, "We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead, you hear me?"

Isabeau nods with a sigh. Dean gives her one light kiss on the cheek before driving Michael's mother to the hospital.

* * *

Inside the library, Sam is sitting at a microfiche machine with Isabeau sitting next to him. Isabeau's phone rings and she picks it up.

"Hey." Dean whispers through the line.

"Hey. How's the kid?" Isabeau asks.

"He's not good. Where you at?"

"We're at the library. We've been trying to find out as much as we can about this Shtriga." Isabeau tells him.

"Yeah, what have you got?" Dean asks.

"Well, bad news. We started with Fort Douglas around the time you said John was there."

"And?"

Isabeau sighs as Sam goes through the documents, "Same deal. Before that, there was, uh, Ogdenville, before that North Haverbrook, and Brockway. Every 15 to 20 years it hits a new town."

Sam gestures for her to give him the phone. She hands it over, letting Sam speak, "Dean, this thing is just getting started in Fitzburgh. In all these other places it goes on for months. Dozens of kids before the shtriga finally moves on. The kids just ... languish in comas and then they die."

Isabeau looks away, running her fingers through her hair.

"How far back does this thing go?" Dean asks.

"Ah, I don't know. The earliest mention we could find is this place called "Black River Falls" back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show... Whoa." Sam nudges Isabeau, directing her attention back to the microfiche.

Isabeau's eyes widen, "You gotta be kidding me." She whispers out.

"Sam?" Dean asks.

"Hold on... We're looking at a photograph right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of the Doctors is Hydecker."

"And?"

"And this picture was taken in 1893." Sam continues.

"You sure?"

Sam nods, "Yeah. Yeah absolutely."

Isabeau grinds her teeth and her fists clenches in anger. Sam hangs up the phone, placing his hand on top of hers, "Calm down, Beau."

Isabeau shakily breathes out, clutching Sam's hand. She looks up at him and even though her eyes weren't glowing, Sam could see the fire in her eyes, "I wanna kill this son of a bitch."

* * *

Dean hangs up and turns to watch Dr. Hydecker sitting on Asher's bed. "Don't worry. Your son's in good hands. I'm going to take care of him." Dr. Hydecker tells his mother.

Dr. Hydecker moves toward Dean, standing in the doorway. Dean looks ready to slit his throat.

"So what's the CDC come up with so far?" Dr. Hydecker asks.

"Well, we're still working on a few theories. You'll know something as soon as we do." Dean says.

Dr. Hydecker nods, "Well, nothing's more important to me than these kids. Just let me know if I can help."

"I'll do that."

* * *

Sam shakes his head as he paces the hotel room, "We should have thought of this before. A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted, you can control the whole thing."

Dean throws off his jacket, pacing agitated, "That son of a bitch."

Isabeau leans against the counter, crossing her arms, "I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there… I would've." She growls out.

Sam stands next to her, rubbing her arm to calm her down.

"Yeah well, first of all, I'm not going to open fire in a freakin' pediatrics ward." Dean says.

Sam scoffs, "Good call."

"Second, wouldn't have done any good, because the bastard's bullet proof unless he's chowing down on something. And third, I wasn't packing, which is probably a really good thing cause I probably would have just burned a clip in him on principle alone."

"You're getting wise in your old age, Dean." Sam says.

"Damn right. Cause now I know how we're going to get it." Dean walks over to them.

"What do you mean?" Sam asks.

"The Shtriga, it works through siblings, right?"

"Right."

"Well last night..."

"It went after Asher." Isabeau says.

"So I'm thinking tonight it's probably gonna come after Michael." Dean says.

Isabeau scoffs, "Then we gotta get him outta here."

"No." Dean shakes his head, "No, that would blow the whole deal."

"What?"

"Yeah."

Isabeau's face hardens, "You wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it. That's out of the question."

"It's not out of the question Isabeau, it's the only way. If this thing disappears it could be years before we get another chance." Dean says.

"Michael's a kid." Sam speaks up, "And we're not going to dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook."

"Dad did not send me here to walk away." Dean growls out.

"Send _you_ here? He didn't send you here. He sent _us_ here."

"This isn't about you, Sam. I'm the one who screwed up, all right. It's my fault. There's no telling how many kids have gotten hurt because of me." Dean turns away.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "What are you saying, Dean? How is it your fault?"

Dean doesn't answer.

Sam sighs, "Dean. You've been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does Dad bail on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away? Now talk to us, man. Tell us what's going on."

Dean takes a seat on the edge of one of the beds, not looking up, "Fort Douglas, Wisconsin. It was our third night in this crap room and I was climbing the walls. Man, I needed to get some air."

Dean tells them the story from when they were kids and how the Shtriga almost killed Sam. The two of them sat next to Dean, listening to the story intently.

"Dad just ... grabbed us and booked. Dropped us off at Pastor Jim's about three hours away, but by the time he got back to Fort Douglas the shtriga had disappeared, it was just gone. It never surfaced until now. You know, Dad never spoke about it again, I didn't ask. But he...ah...he looked at me different, you know? Which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order and I didn't listen, I almost got you killed."

"You were just a kid." Sam says softly.

Dean shakes his head, "Don't. Don't. Dad knew this was unfinished business for me. He sent me here to finish it."

Isabeau sighs, grabbing one of Dean's hands and squeezing it tight, "But using Michael... I don't know, Dean. I mean, how 'bout one of us hides under the covers, you know, we'll be the bait."

Dean squeezes back, "No, it won't work. It's gotta get close enough to feed, it'll see us. Believe me, I don't like it, but it's gotta be the kid."

* * *

"You're crazy! Just go away or I'm calling the cops." Michael exclaims, holding up a phone as he stares at Isabeau, Sam and Dean.

"Hang on a second. Just listen to me. You have to believe me, ok?" Dean asks. "This thing came through the window and it attacked your brother. I've seen it. I know what it looks like. Cause it attacked my brother once too."

Michael slowly hangs up the phone, "This thing...is it...like...it has this long...black robe?"

"You saw it last night, didn't you?" Dean asks.

"I thought I was having a nightmare."

Dean sighs, "I'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes nightmares are real."

"So, why are you telling me?" Michael asks.

"Because we need your help." Dean tells him.

"My help?"

Dean nods, "We can kill it. The three of us, that's what we do." He indicates Sam and Isabeau, "But we can't do it without you."

"What? No!" Michael shakes his head.

"Michael, listen to me. This thing hurt Asher. And it's gonna keep hurting kids unless we stop it, understand me?"

Michael stares at Dean, horrified.

* * *

"Well that went crappy. Now what?" Dean asks, back in their hotel room.

Isabeau scoffs from her spot on the bed next to Sam, "What did you expect? You can't ask an adult to do something like that, much less a kid."

There's a knock at the door. Isabeau and Sam stand up and Dean opens the door to see Michael. "If you kill it, will Asher get better?" Michael asks.

Dean glances back at Isabeau and Sam, who were smiling, "Honestly? We don't know."

"You said you were a big brother."

Dean nods, "Yeah."

"You'd take care of your little brother? You'd do anything for him?" Michael asks.

"Yeah, I would."

Michael nods, "Me too. I'll help."

* * *

Isabeau completes hooking up a security camera in the corner of the room, staring into the lense. Michael is behind her, in bed. Dean is behind her as well. Sam is watching the security feed in the other room.

"This camera has night vision on it so we'll be able to see clear as day." Isabeau says to Michael. "Are we good?" She asks Sam, slightly raising her voice.

"A hair to the right." Sam says and Isabeau adjusts the camera. "There, there."

"What do I do?" Michael asks.

Isabeau moves to sit on his bed, "Just stay under the covers." Dean stands besides her.

"And if it shows up?"

"We'll be right in the next room. We're gonna come in with guns. So, as soon as we do you roll off this bed and you crawl under it." Isabeau tells him.

"What if you shoot me?" Michael asks.

"We won't shoot you. We're good shots. We're not going to fire until you're clear ok?" Dean reassures him. Michael nods tentatively. "Have you heard a gunshot before?"

"Like in the movies?" Michael asks.

Dean pauses, "It's gonna be a lot louder than in the movies. So I want you to stay under the bed, cover your ears, do not come out until we say so. You understand?"

Michael nods slowly, looking scared.

Isabeau bites her lip, "Michael, you sure you wanna do this?"

Michael doesn't answer.

Isabeau smiles comfortingly, "You don't have to, it's ok, we won't be mad."

Michael nods, "No I'm ok. Just don't shoot me."

Isabeau shakes her head, "We're not going to let anything happen to you. We promise." Isabeau goes to get up, but Michael stops her.

"Are you a big sister, too?" He asks.

Isabeau smiles softly, "Yeah… got three little brothers, all around your age. And I'm going to protect you as if you were one of them."

Dean smiles softly at Isabeau, placing a hand on her shoulder. Dean knew that Isabeau would do anything for her little brothers. He didn't realize it until now, but this hunt was hitting her hard.

Kids were everything to Isabeau. She loves them with all her heart and if a child was hurt in her presence, little brothers or not, lord have mercy on the one who caused that pain.

* * *

In the motel room, Isabeau, Sam and Dean sit watching the security camera feed. "What time is it?" Dean asks.

Isabeau looks over at the motel alarm clock, "Three. You sure these iron rounds are gonna work?"

"Consecrated iron rounds, and yeah, it's what Dad used last time." Dean confirms.

"Hey, Dean, I'm sorry." Sam apologies.

Dean glances at him, "For what?"

Sam sighs, "You know, I've really given you a lot of crap, for always following Dad's orders. But I know why you do it."

"Oh, god, kill me now." Dean groans.

Sam laughs softly and Isabeau smiles. They sit in silence for a moment.

"Wait, look."

There is movement outside the window. It slides open.

Isabeau, Sam and Dean pick up their guns. The shtriga is inside Michael's room. "Now?" Sam asks.

"Not yet." Dean answers.

The shtriga moves closer and leans over the bed, Michael is terrified but frozen, unable to move. The shtriga leans closer and opens his mouth, starting to draw Michael's energy.

Isabeau, Dean and Sam burst in. "Hey!" Sam calls out.

"Michael, down!" Dean orders.

Michael rolls off and under the bed and Isabeau, Sam and Dean open fire, shooting the shtriga multiple times each. It falls to the ground.

"Michael, you all right?" Isabeau asks.

"Yeah." Michael says from under the bed.

"Just sit tight." Isabeau says.

Dean and Isabeau approach the shtriga, gun at the ready. There is no movement. They relax slightly and glance at Sam.

The shtriga suddenly rises, grabs Isabeau and Dean by the throat and throws them against the wall.

"Dean! Isabeau!" Sam shouts.

The shtriga moves and throws Sam to the wall. When he hits the ground, the shtriga comes on him and forces his mouth open.

Sam struggles to reach his gun. The shtriga begins drawing his energy and Sam stills and starts going grey.

"Hey!"

The shtriga looks up and Dean shoots it between the eyes. He falls backwards and Sam lies gasping for breath.

"You ok little brother?" Dean asks.

Sam nods and unsteadily holds up two thumbs-up. Isabeau gets up from the spot she was thrown and helps both brothers to their feet and look to the shtriga.

The energy the shtriga stole begins to escape from its mouth. Dean raises his gun, shooting it three more times at point blank range. More energy escapes and the shtriga falls in on itself, disintegrating.

Michael peeks from the side of the bed.

"It's ok, Michael, you can come on out." Dean says.

Michael comes to stand beside them, smiling tentatively. Dean places his hand on Michael's shoulder and smiles.

Isabeau comes to stand by Dean and intertwines their fingers. She looks up, her and Dean staring at each other. She smiles at him, "You did good." She whispers to him.

Dean smiles, once again, squeezing her hand.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam are packing the impala ready to head out. Michael's Mom comes out of the back of reception.

"Hey, Joanna. How's Asher doing?" Dean asks.

"Have you seen Michael?" Joanna asks.

Michael runs up to his mother, "Mom! Mom!"

Joanna hugs him, "Hey!"

"How's Ash?" Michael asks.

"Got some good news. Your brother's gonna be fine." Joanna smiles down at him.

Michael grins, "Really?"

"Yeah, really. No one can explain it…"

Dean glances back at Sam and Isabeau, all of them smiling softly at the news.

"...it's a miracle. They're going to keep him in overnight for observation and then he's coming home." Joanna says.

"That's great." Dean says.

"How are all the other kids doing?" Isabeau asks with hope.

Joanna smiles at her, "Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checking out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's going to be like a ghost town."

"Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?" Sam asks.

Joanna shakes her head, "Oh, he wasn't in today. Must have been sick or something."

Dean nods, "Yeah, yeah must have."

"So, did anything happen while I was gone?" Joanna asks Michael.

Michael glances at Dean, "Nah, same old stuff."

"Ok. You can go see Ash." Joanna says.

"Now?" Michael asks excitedly.

"Only if you want to."

Michael looks to Dean who nods slightly and Michael runs to the car.

Joanna laughs, "I, ah, I'd better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself."

Smiling goodbye, she leaves, Sam, Isabeau and Dean turn back to the Impala.

"It's too bad." Sam says.

Dean closes the trunk, "Oh, they'll be fine."

"That's not what I meant." Sam leans against the impala, "I meant Michael. He'll always know there are things out there in the dark. He'll never be the same, you know?" Sam pauses, "Sometimes I wish that..."

"What...?" Dean asks.

"I wish I could have that kinda innocence." Sam admits. Isabeau frowns, looking away.

They watch Joanna and Michael drive away.

Dean nods, "If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could too." He says slowly.

They exchange a look. Isabeau looks down, kicking at the pebbles under her feet.

"Hey." Sam says softly.

Isabeau looks up and Sam cups her cheeks, caressing them with his thumbs, "But if I did have that innocence, I would never know the real you."

Isabeau smiles weakly, "I know…" Isabeau trails off not knowing what to say.

Dean smiles at the two. Innocence… none of them had it. But they had each other, and they weren't to let that go away anytime soon.

Isabeau and Sam pull away and the three climb in the car. Dean starts the engine, putting his arm around Isabeau, pulling her close to him, giving her a kiss on the forehead while Sam holds onto her hand.

Sam smiles at his brother and Isabeau. Dean needed her at this moment, and Sam wasn't going to deny Dean the comfort of Isabeau.

Dean pulls out of the motel car park and back onto the freeway.

* * *

"Hey. Alphonse, it's two in the morning. What are you doing up?" Isabeau whispers as she climbs out of the bed she was sharing with Dean.

The entire room was dark with only light from the full moon seeping through the windows and Dean and Sam were sound asleep in their beds.

She throws on her plaid shirt from her bag, not bothering to button it and goes to sit criss-cross at the edge of the bed.

"I can't sleep, Izzy… I miss you." Alphonse sniffles on the other line.

Isabeau smiles sadly, already feeling the tears forming, "I miss you too, big guy."

"When are you coming home?" Alphonse's voice breaks, no doubt crying.

Isabeau bites her lip, placing a hand over her mouth to stop her from crying, "I don't know. Hopefully not too long... Are, uh, Eugene and Dion asleep?"

Alphonse hums out a yes, sniffling more, "Yeah… can you sing to me, Izzy?"

Isabeau softly chuckles, whipping away a few stray tears, "You tucked into bed?"

"Yeah."

"Lights out?"

"Yeah."

Isabeau takes a breath, "Okay, um, what are we requesting tonight?"

Alphonse is silent for a moment before speaking softly, "'Into the Unknown'?" He asks.

Isabeau chuckles softly again, her face contorting into sadness as she wishes to be home singing this to her brother in person and not through a phone miles away from him.

"You got it." She takes a deep breath to steady herself.

" _Led through the mist_

_By the milk-light of moon_

_All that was lost is revealed"_

Unknown to Isabeau, Sam and Dean were wide awake listening and watching Isabeau sing the song to Alphonse.

" _Our long bygone burdens_

_Mere echoes of the spring_

_But where have we come?"_

Sam and Dean sit up in their beds, smiling sadly.

" _And where shall we end?_

_If dreams can't come true_

_Then why not pretend?"_

Isabeau's breath hitches, but still continues going.

" _How the gentle wind_

_Beckons through the leaves_

_As Autumn colors fall"_

Isabeau closes her eyes and more tears fall, missing her brother more and more.

" _Dancing in a swirl_

_Of golden memories_

_The loveliest lies"_

Isabeau pauses.

" _Of all"_

With only the soft sound of her brother breathing on the other line, having fallen asleep to her song, she hangs up and tosses her phone onto her bag.

She sniffles, wiping away her tears, but only more and more fall.

Arms wrap around her slowly and pull her into the owner's chest, "Shh, shh." Sam shushes her softly, running his fingers through her hair, "We got you."

Dean comes to sit next to Sam and pulls Isabeau's legs into his lap, stroking her legs to calm down her crying, "We got you, Isabeau."

Isabeau smiles weakly at them, "I love you." Her voice breaks as the tears still fall.

Sam and Dean smile softly at her, holding her tight throughout the night.

"We love you too, Isabeau."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending song is "Into the Unknown" from the soundtrack for "Over the Garden Wall". I love that small cartoon series and I highly recommend it. I know it's on Hulu, but I also think it's on YouTube... I'm not sure, don't quote me on this. I might be wrong. But if you get the chance to watch it, please do!
> 
> Also, very excited to have this episode finished and next is 'Provenance'... something special happens in that episode and I am excited to write it. Hope you all enjoyed!


	42. Provenance Pt.1

Isabeau smiles, leaning against the bar, "I'll call you next time I'm in the hospital dying, Olivia." She says.

Olivia shakes her head, "You better, I'm just glad Rebecca got to help." They were talking about the time when Isabeau got electrocuted and had a heart attack from a couple months ago.

A hand from behind Isabeau, places itself on Isabeau's hip, sliding under her shirt to caress the tattoo that laid there, "You had us all worried, Isa."

Isabeau looks over her shoulder to look at one of her other girls, Madison. Madison has short black hair with part of it down and with two small buns at the top, and hazel eyes.

Isabeau sighs, "I know Madison… but do I wanna know why both of you have come to visit me?" She smiles, taking a sip of her drink.

Madison smirks, pressing up against Isabeau's back, "I need to feed, Isa. And Olivia didn't get her bonding time when she last saw you." Madison's hand seems to move a little bit higher than before.

Isabeau takes a breath, "This is what I get for being in a coven with a succubi." She whispers just loud enough for Olivia and Madison to hear. Both girls laugh and smile at Isabeau fondly.

"Excuse me ladies," Dean comes up to the three of them. Isabeau smiles as Dean's gaze lands on Madison's hand on her hip. "But, we need to steal sweetheart away for a few." He finishes.

Olivia tilts her head with a smile, "Sweetheart?" She looks at Isabeau to confirm that she heard right.

Isabeau nods and Madison and Olivia shared excited smiles. "Excuse me girls, but my boys call." She steps away from Olivia and Madison, but not with grabbing two beers for Dean and Sam.

The two girls watch as Isabeau and Dean make their way over to Sam, who is sitting at a table strewn with papers.

The two girls look at each other with smiles, "Thank god, I thought the three of them would never get together." Olivia says, taking a sip of her own drink.

Madison narrows her eyes at the three, Sam specifically, "They're taking it slow for Sam."

Olivia raises a brow at Madison, "Really? No 'I'm confessing my love for you after all these years, sex?' Seriously?"

Madison shakes her head, "Nope, from what I can see, just kisses on cheeks and forehead and the occasional comment from Dean, but…" Madison fidgets.

"But…?" Olivia drawls.

Madison huffs, "But… I can feel sexual tension starting to rise. There's a shit ton of it from Dean, but it's mostly coming from Sam. Something is holding him back because apart from that one thing, he's ready. He wants to make it official."

Isabeau and Dean approach Sam. Isabeau places both beers on the table, leaning against the table with her hands and she could feel Dean's hand sliding underneath her shirt, caressing her lower back.

"All right, I think we got something." Sam says.

Dean glances back at the bar to Olivia and Madison, "Oh yeah, Isabeau too."

Sam raises a brow at Isabeau, "What?"

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Olivia and Madison are here for a, uh, special visit. Need some bonding time. Plus, Madison needs to feed."

"What's Madison?" Sam asks.

Isabeau bites her lip, staring at Sam, "Half witch… half succubi."

Dean leans on the table with a smirk, "Really?"

Isabeau chuckles, "Yeah, uh, succubi needs to feed off the sexual energy of another in order to survive. Madison likes to feed off me."

Sam tilts his head in confusion, "Would that hurt you in any way? Her feeding off of you?"

"No, I might be a little tired afterwards, but no."

"So, you and her need to have sex in order for her to feed?" Dean asks. Sam stares at Isabeau, slightly fidgeting in his seat.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah, though both her and Olivia are here so I guess I'm in for a long night." Seh shakes her head, "Anyway, what you got?"

"Mark and Ann Telesca of New Paltz, New York were both found dead in their own home, a few days ago. Throats were slit. There were no prints, no murder weapons, all doors and window locked from the inside." Sam explains.

Dean takes a sip of his beer, "Could just be a garden variety murder you know, not our department."

Sam holds up a finger, "No. Dad says different."

"What do you mean?"

Sam points at a map, "Dad noted three murders in the same area of upstate New York. First one here in 1912, second one right here in 1945, and the third in 1970, the same M.O. as the Telescas. Their throats were slit, doors were locked from the inside. Now so much time had passed between murders that nobody checked the pattern, except Dad. He kept his eyes peeled for another one."

Isabeau sighs, "And now we got one. All right, I'm with ya. It's worth checking out. We can't pick this up til first thing though right?"

"Yeah." Sam says.

Isabeau smiles, glancing over at Olivia and Madison who were watching her like she was fresh meat, "Good, cause my girls are ready to pounce on me. Hope you guys don't mind them stealing me away from you two?"

Dean chuckles with a shake of his head, "No… have fun."

Isabeau nods, reaching up to place a kiss just at the corner of his lips. Dean stares when she pulls away. That was the closest she's ever gotten to his lips and probably the most intimate kiss they had yet. It sounds childish in his mind and maybe a little cheesy, but he couldn't help but feel a giddy from it.

Isabeau steps over and does the same to Sam. As Isabeau pulls away, her hand lingers on his cheek and the two stare at one another. Sam's gaze glance down to Isabeau's lips and in that moment, he wondered what it would be like to kiss them.

Isabeau goes back over to Olivia and Madison, who automatically grabs each of her hands and drags her out of the bar; all of them smiling at one another.

The brothers watch them leave. Sam looks back down at the research, not saying anything.

"Sam…" Dean says.

Sam looks up, waiting for Dean to continue.

"You god with Isabeau not spending the night with us?" He asks.

Sam shrugs, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Dean shrugs, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that she is going to having hot sex throughout the entire night with her coven while her partners are stuck in a motel room."

Sam says nothing.

"Seriously, man. I understand that you need to take this slow, but god damn. Are you ever gonna be ready?"

"I am."

Dean pauses, "You are? But…?"

Sam huffs, going back to the research, not wanting to talk about it. It was something to talk about with Isabeau.

* * *

Isabeau sleeps slouched in the passenger seat of the impala, sunglasses on. Dean walks over to the drivers side and Sam stays at the passenger side.

Both lean in and see that Isabeau's jacket is slipping off, revealing multiple purple marks along her neck, trailing down her chest and underneath her shirt.

Sam licks his lips staring at the marks. He wishes he was the one who made those.

Dean leans in and honks the horn and Isabeau jumps a foot. Dean laughs and sits in the driver's seat, "Good morning, sweetheart." He helps her move to the middle and places a light kiss on her shoulder, careful to avoid any of the marks that he as well wishes he has made.

Isabeau takes off her sunglasses and rubs at her eyes, mumbling, "Man, that is so not cool."

Sam gets into the passenger seat and reaches over with one hand to the back of her neck and starts to massage it gently, "We just swept the Telescas with EMF. It's clean. And last night, while you were… well… out…"

Isabeau lets her hand fall into her lap and smirks with a chuckle, "Good times."

"We checked the history of the house. No hastings, no violent crimes, nothing strange about the Telescas themselves, either."

"All right, so if it's not the people and it's not the house, then maybe it's the contents. Cursed object or something." Isabeau suggests.

Dean shakes his head, "The house is clean."

Isabeau looks at him, "Yeah I know, you guys said that."

"No, I mean it's empty. No furniture, nothing."

Isabeau furrows a brow, "Where's all their stuff?"

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean wander around the auction house, looking out of place in their casual, rough clothing among the people of upper class.

Isabeau smiles as she looks at all the art on auction and Dean takes finger food from a tray. One man especially watches them pass then excuses himself from his companion and moves toward them.

"Consignment auctions, estate sales. Looks like a garage sale for Wasps if you ask me." Dean says taking more food from a tray on a table as the man moves up behind them.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" They turn around to face the man. Isabeau is mentally patting herself on the shoulder for covering up the marks all over her body; their clothes made them stick out enough.

Dean looks him up and down and then puts more food in his mouth. "I'd like some champagne, please." Dean says in a posh voice.

"He's not a waiter." Sam says sharply.

Dean cocks an eyebrow and Sam holds out his hand to the man, "I'm Sam Connors."

The man just looks at him, not moving. Sam moves the hand he's holding out to point at Dean, "That's my brother Dean and my partner Isabeau. We're art dealers, with Connors Limited."

The man nods, "You're art dealers?" He asks.

Isabeau nods, "That's right."

"I'm Daniel Blake." The man says and Isabeau narrows her eyes at him. His last name sounded familiar. "This is my auction house. Now lady and gentlemen this is a private showing, and I don't remember seeing you on the guest list."

"We're there chuckles, you just need to take another look." Dean tells him.

A waiter goes past with drinks on a tray. "Oh, finally." Dean swipes a glass.

Dean turns back to Blake, sniffs the glass, raises his eyebrows then turns and walks away. Sam and Isabeau hastily follow, shooting Dean dirty looks.

"Cheers." Sam says.

Isabeau, Sam and Dean check out the items for auction and are drawn to the painting of the family.

"A fine example of American Primitive wouldn't you say?"

Isabeau, Sam and Dean turn to see a sleek, classy, extremely good looking young woman in a black dress coming down a spiral staircase. They all stare at her as she turns her back while taking the final part of the stairs.

Isabeau huffs out a chuckle and turns to the woman with a knowing smile, "Well I'd say it's more Grant Wood than Grandma Moses. But you knew that, you just wanted to see if I did."

"Guilty. And clumsy. I apologize…" The woman trails off with a knowing smile of her own, "...BoBo."

Isabeau chuckles as the two embrace in a warm hug. Sam and Dean share a confused look and stare at the two girls.

"You know how I feel about that nickname, Sarah." Isabeau says, pulling away.

She turns back to Sam and Dean, "Sarah, these are my… friends, Sam and his brother Dean. The ones I always told you about?"

Sarah nods with a smug smile, "I remember."

"Sam, Dean, this is Sarah Blake. We went to college together." Isabeau explains.

Dean continues to stuff his face from passing trays.

"Dean. Can we get you some more mini-quiche?" Sarah asks.

Dean shakes his head, chewing, "I'm good, thanks."

Sarah directs her attention back to Isabeau, "So, can I help you with something?"

Isabeau nods, shoving her hands in her pockets, "Yeah, actually. What can you tell us about the Telesca estate?"

Sarah takes a breath, "The whole thing's pretty grisly if you ask me, selling your things this soon. But Dad's right about one thing, sensationalism brings out the crowds. Even the rich ones."

"Is it possible to see the provenances?" Sam asks her.

"I'm afraid there isn't any chance of that." Blake says coming up from behind Sarah.

"Why not?" Sam asks.

"You're not on the guest list. And I think it's time to leave." Blake says.

Dean puts on his posh voice again, "Well we don't have to be told twice."

"Apparently you do."

Isabeau interjects, "Okay. It's all right. We don't want any trouble. We'll go."

Dean raises his eyebrows and walks off with Sam. Sarah quickly leans over and whispers into Isabeau's ear, "Call me, we'll talk later." Isabeau nods and follows Sam and Dean.

Sarah turns to her father when they leave, "Dad that was rude."

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean approach their motel room.

"Grant Wood, Grandma Moses?" Dean asks.

Isabeau gives him a look, "Bachelor's in art history... Need I remind you?"

Dean unlocks the door, "That's right, I'm dating an artist." He says, as if almost to remind himself.

They enter the room, and on the back of the door as it closes, the do not disturb door hanger swinging back and forth has a silver outline of John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever.

The motel room is a totally over the top retro 70s disco fantasy room. They look from one side of the room to the other and pause.

"Huh." Sam and Dean say in unison. Isabeau smiles to herself.

They move into the room, dumping their bags.

"And what was the...providence?" Dean asks.

"Prov-e-nance." Isabeau says. "It's a certificate of origin, like a biography. You know we can use them to check the history of the pieces, see if any of them have a freaky past."

"Huh. Well, we're not getting anything out of chuckles, but Sarah…" Dean snaps his fingers at Isabeau.

Isabeau nods, "Got her number. I can call her to get some information, though…" She pulls out a little black dress and heels, "Sarah doesn't play around when it comes to going out."

She zips her bag back up and grabs her phone heading to the bathroom.

* * *

Isabeau huffs, fixing the little strands of hair and putting them in their place. Isabeau pauses and stares at her reflection with a satisfied smile.

She walks out of the bathroom and into the motel room, "So, I don't know when I'll be back, but knowing Sarah, probably an hour of it will be catching up, another one will be gathering information and… Are you two listening to me?"

Isabeau crosses her arms at Sam and Dean.

Sam and Dean's eyes rake up and down Isabeau's body. She styled her long white hair to be half up in a neat bun, with the rest cascading over her shoulders. She was wearing a little black velvet dress that hugged her figure in all the right ways. It stopped a bit above her knees and had slightly puffy short sleeves.

Isabeau wore some jewelry that was encrusted with black gems that she only ever wore a handful of times. She wore a pair of open toed black heels, showing off the black nail polish that painted her toes and matched her nails. She also did her makeup, going for a smokey eye that made her blue eyes pop.

Sam and Dean shift in their seats, suddenly uncomfortable with their seated position. Dean whistles, "Damn, sweetheart."

Isabeau chuckles, shaking her head, "Thank Uncle C."

"Thank you, Uncle C." Sam says breathlessly, still staring at Isabeau.

Isabeau smiles at Sam and goes over to pick up her purse, shoving her gun and her phone inside it. "That man spoils me like it's nobody's business. I'll be back."

She gives each of them a kiss on the corner of their lips just like before and they do the same to her before she leaves. "Love you!" She calls out and closes the door.

Sam and Dean sit in silence, staring at the door. Sam clears his throat and gets up to go to the bathroom.

"Be quick, you're not the only one who needs to... _relieve_ themselves." Dean chuckles as Sam glares at him, closing the door to the bathroom and turns on the water to take a nice cold shower.

* * *

Isabeau and Sarah sit at a table at an upmarket restaurant. Isabeau smiles as the waiter places glasses of water on their table, "Nice place."

Sarah nods with a smile, "Yeah. I'm glad you called. It's been a while."

"Definitely. I mean, you wanted to talk more and catch up. How could I deny a friend?" Isabeau asks.

Sarah chuckles, "I think having dinner was a great idea. I see that you are still wearing black like it's the last color on earth."

Isabeau scoffs, "Black is a shade, not a color. Basics, remember?"

Sarah shakes her head, "Of course you would be scolding me on my knowledge. I remember that you made me do a lapse around the studio every time I would say 'purple' instead of 'violet'."

Isabeau shrugs, "My high school teacher did it to us in school. I guess I took some of her teaching techniques."

"Here we are. The wine list." The waiter hands them the menus and hands Isabeau the wine list. Isabeau smiles, not taking it, "Fonseca 2003 Vintage Port… for the both of us." She says simply.

Sarah cocks an eyebrow at her as the waiter nods and walks away. "That's a very expensive bottle, BoBo."

Isabeau chuckles, "I'm paying. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"Oh, I'm not worried about me or you paying it. Just, I didn't know you had such expensive tastes. Usually when we would hang out together it would be beers."

Isabeau pauses, "My Uncle C makes it his job to educate me and have me experience only the… finest things in life. Meaning expensive. Wine being one of the many things."

* * *

"So, you seriously dropped being an artist?" Isabeau asks as the waiter refills their wine glasses.

"I was a terrible terrible artist. And that's why I'm in the auction business." Sarah explains. "What about Sam and Dean? They said they were art dealers?"

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. Uh, Sam was in pre-law beforehand and Dean was kind of doing his own thing with his father."

"But he didn't go to law school. How come?" Sarah asks.

Isabeau pauses, "Ahh, that's a really, really long story for another time."

Sarah shakes her head with a smile, "They're not like any art dealers I ever met. And what about you? I thought you had something planned after college?"

Isabeau glances down before taking a sip of her wine, "I did. I was going to be set up for being an administrative assistant at an art museum."

Sarah smiles at her, proud, "That's amazing. Did you take it?"

Isabeau shakes her head slowly, "No, unfortunately. Um, Sam and Dean needed some help with their, uh, business and I hopped on board. Kind of dropped everything for them."

Sarah nods, taking a long pause before smiling, "So… the three of you. I remember some… interesting conversations about them."

Isabeau chuckles, "Oh boy. It surprises me on how many people I know are okay with the idea of polyamorous relationships."

Sarah shrugs, "Love is love, and if you're happy, who cares?"

"Well, we are taking things slow."

Sarah nods with a hum, "I'm hoping not too slow."

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, it's just that... Sam just went through losing someone and I just think he's scared that he's going to lose me the same way. I can't blame him for that, but it's something we'll talk about." She pauses.

"But, I'd wait a lifetime for them if I had to."

* * *

Dean is sharpening his blade on a whetstone, as Isabeau and Sam are looking through some papers. Isabeau didn't change out of her dress, but she did remove her heels, leaving her barefoot. She also switched out her fancy jewelry and back to her rosary, along with letting her hair down fully.

"So she just handed the providences over to you?" Dean asks Isabeau.

"Provenances." She corrects him, not looking up.

"Provenances?" Dean stutters out the correct pronunciation.

Isabeau nods, "Yes. We went back to her place, I got a copy of the papers."

Dean nods, "You and her went to school together, right?"

Isabeau pauses, "Yeah?"

"Well does she know what you are? What you did in your free time during school?"

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, anyone who wasn't my coven or you guys never knew about my secret double life. Everyone saw me as a regular art history student. Just like everyone else."

"Hey, I think I've got something here." Sam says interrupting their conversation.

Dean comes over, and Sam hands him the papers.

'"Portrait of Isaiah Merchant's family, painted 1910."' Dean reads.

"Now compare the names of the owners with Dad's journal." Sam says.

Dean goes over, checking against the journal, "First purchased in 1912, Peter Simms. Peter Simms murdered 1912. Same thing in 1945. Oh, same thing in 1970."

"Then stored, until it was donated to a charity auction last month. Where the Telescas bought it. So what do you think, it's haunted? or cursed?" Sam asks.

Dean leans back, "Either way, it's toast."

"Great, breaking and entering." Isabeau thinks, being brought back to her high school memories. She chuckles, "Fun."

Isabeau walks over to her bag and sets out a change of clothing on the bed as Sam and Dean get their own stuff ready to go.

Isabeau reaches back and tries to find the zip of her dress, only being able to pull it down a couple inches before getting caught, "Damn it." Isabeau whispers, trying to fix it.

"Let me." Sam whispers, coming up behind her. Isabeau stops trying to fiddle with the zipper and let's Sam fix it.

Sam pulls the zipper down slowly, his eyes trailing down along her spine and stopping where the zipper ends at her lower back. His hands instinctively go to slowly push away the sleeves off her shoulders.

Isabeau shivers as Sam's hands touch her skin ever so softly, as if she was made of the finest china and she could break at a moment's notice.

"Sam…" She whispers out. He freezes immediately, drawing his hands away hesitantly.

"Isabeau…"

Isabeau turns around to face him and places a lingering kiss on the corner of his lips, "We'll talk later."

* * *

Dean leaps and easily scales the meters high metal gates and sprints into the mist. "Come on!" He calls out.

Sam and Isabeau follow.

Isabeau, slips off one of her gloves and points her finger at the alarm system. A spark of electricity shoots out and disarms the security alarm.

Sam glances at Dean, "Go ahead."

Dean, also with gloves, picks the lock.

They shine their flashlights around inside, quickly searching for the painting. Dean spies it upstairs and they sprint up the spiral staircase. Holding his flashlight in his mouth, Dean flicks his switchblade and cuts the painting from its frame. They're in and out within a couple of minutes.

* * *

The painting lies in the dirt road, Sam holding the flashlight as Isabeau rubs her hands together.

"Ugly ass thing. If you ask me we're doing the art world a favor." Dean comments.

One of Isabeau's hands holds a small ball of flames, tossing it at the painting and the painting ignites.

* * *

Isabeau walks into the main part of their motel from the bathroom on the phone, "Yeah, I think I can swing by. See you then."

She hangs up her phone and looks over at Sam and Dean, who are packing their bags, "I gotta stop at the warehouse. Sarah has some photos from our college days she wants to give me." She throws on her jacket.

"Need us to come with you?" Dean asks.

Isabeau gives him a smile, "If you want to. I think I can handle picking up some stuff, but it wouldn't hurt if you guys came."

* * *

The three walk into the warehouse, on the lookout for Sarah.

"So by college photos…" Dean starts.

Isabeau chuckles, "Meaning a few hang outs, maybe even a few party photos. Or even a couple of photos from late nights in the studios. Let me tell you, 3am is truly the witching hour."

Sam cocks an eyebrow at her.

"If you saw me, you would think I was high." Isabeau tells them and Sam chuckles.

Sarah walks in with a handful of photos and sees them "Hey guys!"

Isabeau smiles, "Sarah! Hey."

Sarah glances down at the photos in her hands and gives them to Isabeau, "I made copies for you. Thought you would like them."

Isabeau takes them and starts to go through all of them, chuckling at the memories, "Man, I keep on forgetting that we took so many photos."

Sarah chuckles, "Tell me about it, I was going through them last night. Remember the senior prank?"

Isabeau laughs as Sam and Dean each take half, looking through them, "Oh god, that's forever etched in my brain. Anyway, thank you for these. They'll be fun to fully look through once we hit the road."

"You're leaving?"

Isabeau nods, "Good thing you called, you know, gives us a chance to say goodbye."

Sarah nods, smiling sadly, "Yeah. I also wanted to let you know that I had a good time last night."

"Yeah, yeah. I did too."

"Maybe we should do it again sometime, once you're back in town of course." Sarah suggests.

Isabeau nods, "You know. I'd love to, I really would, but I don't know when I will be back in town. Could be a while."

"Oh, ah, that's too bad."

Sam sees the painting being carried past, "Oh my god!" Isabeau and Dean's eyes widen staring at the painting. Isabeau was pretty sure that she burned it last night.

Sarah jumps and turns to look, "What?"

"The...that painting...looks so good!" Sam recovers.

"If you can call that monstrosity good, then...yeah, I guess." Sarah says, unsure.

Dean nods, "Sarah, what do you know about that painting?"

"Not much. Just that it creeps me out. We sold it to the Telescas at a charity auction the night they were murdered." Sarah explains.

"Yeah, and now you're just going to sell it again?" Sam asks, raising his voice.

Sarah shakes her head, "As much as my Dad wants to, no, I won't let him. I think it'd be in bad taste."

"Good. Yeah. You know what? Don't. Don't. Make sure you don't, okay?" Dean tells her.

Sarah looks between all three of them, "Why? Don't tell me you're interested in that?"

"No. No, God, no. Not in buying it, no. You know what, I gotta go, we gotta take care of something. But umm, I will call you back...I will call you, I'll see you later." Isabeau says flustered, stepping back with Sam and Dean.

"Wait, so you're...not leaving tonight?" Sarah asks, confused.

Isabeau forces a smile, "No, I guess not. I'll see ya." The three turn and walk away from Sarah.

"O...kay." Sarah says, still confused.

* * *

The three climb into the impala and sit there, confused as to why the painting was still intact.

"I don't understand, Dean. We burned the damn thing." Sam says.

"Yeah, thank you Captain Obvious." Dean sighs, "All right, we just need to figure out another way to get rid of it. Any ideas?"

Isabeau thinks, "Okay, all right. Well, um, in almost all the lore about haunted paintings it's always the painting's subject that haunts 'em."

Dean nods, "Yeah. All right, so we just need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family and that creepy-ass painting. What were their names again?"


	43. Provenance Pt.2

The three ended up in a second-hand bookshop. "You said the Isaiah Merchant family right?" The proprietor asks.

"Yeah that's right." Sam confirms with Isabeau standing next to him.

Dean approaches, smiling and flipping through an old book with pictures of guns.

The proprietor lays a huge book of newspaper clippings on the table, "I dug up every scrap of local history I could find. So are you guys crime buffs?"

Dean glances over at Sam and Isabeau, "Kinda. Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" The proprietor holds up a newspaper article. The lead story on the front page is 'New Titanic Sinks, 1304 People Go To Watery Graves: Only 866 saved from 2,170 Aboard Liner Which Collides With Iceberg. Disaster Proves To Be the Greatest in Marine History of the World.'

He points at a side article. It reads 'Father Slaughters Family, Kills Himself'.

Dean points at it with a smile, "Yes. Yeah, that sounds about right."

"The whole family was killed?" Isabeau asks.

"It seems this Isaiah, he slits his kids' throats, then his wife, then himself. Now he was a barber by trade. Used a straight razor." The proprietor says.

"Why'd he do it?" Sam asks.

"Let's look. Ahh…" He begins reading, "'People who knew him describe Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament. Controlled his family with an iron fist. Wife, uh, two sons, adopted daughter...'"

He skims on, "Yeah yeah yeah…'There were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave.' Which of course you know in that day and age, um ...so instead, old man Isaiah...well he gave them all a shave."

He draws his hand across his throat with appropriate noises, laughing. Dean joins in but stops when Sam and Isabeau give him a bitch-face.

"Does it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean asks.

"Just that they were all cremated." The proprietor answers.

The three glance at each other; that didn't help. "Anything else?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. Actually I found a picture of the family. It's right here... somewhere. Right - here it is." The proprietor flips open a book to a certain page; It's the picture of the painting.

Isabeau tilts her head at it. It looked different for some odd reason, "Hey, could we get a copy of this, please?" She asks politely.

The proprietor nods, "Sure."

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean sit at the table in their motel room. "I'm telling you guys, I'm sure of it. The painting at the auction house, Dad is looking down. The painting here, Dad's looking out. The painting has changed, guys." Isabeau says placing the picture of the painting in the middle of all of them.

Dean picks it up, "All right, so you think that Daddy dearest is trapped in the painting and is handing out Colombian neckties like he did with his family?"

"Well yeah, it seems like it. But if his bones are already dusted then how are we gonna stop him?" Isabeau asks.

"All right, well, if Isaiah's position changed then maybe some other things in the painting changed as well. You know it could give us some clues."

"What, like a Da Vinci Code deal?" Sam asks.

Dean gives Sam a totally blank look, "I don't...know. uhh...I'm still waiting for the movie on that one. Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting."

Isabeau's phone suddenly rings. She pulls it out to see Madison's caller ID, "I gotta take this." Isabeau gets up and exits the motel room, leaving Sam and Dean.

Dean rises and moves across to the bed, throwing himself onto his back and crossing his arms, "Gonna tell her you're ready?" Dean asks, bringing up their conversation they let go of previously at the bar.

"Dude. Enough already." Sam says, leaning back in his chair.

"What?"

"What? Ever Isabeau left with Madison and Olivia at the bar, you've been trying to get me to tell her. Just back off, all right."

Dean gives him a look, "Well, in case you've forgotten, but this is not just your relationship we're talking about here. I'm with Isabeau too, and I'm waiting for you, man."

Sam nods.

"All right, I'm ready, you're ready, we're all consenting adults…"

"That's not the point, Dean." Sam stares at him and with a huff, he turns away.

Dean sits up on the bed, "You know, seriously Sam, this isn't just about you, and this isn't just about me. I mean, it's not just about Isabeau too. It's all three of us."

Sam sighs and scratches his head.

Dean watches closely, "And... I don't mean any disrespect, but I'm sure this is about Jessica, right? Now I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that... but... I would think that she would want you to be happy with the woman that you love."

Sam is quiet and listening now, with tears in his eyes.

"God forbid, being in love. Wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, I know she would." Sam says softly.

Sam gives a half smile, then sighs heavily, "Yeah, you're right. Part of this is about Jessica. But not the main part."

"What's it about?"

Sam refuses to answer.

"Yeah, all right." Dean lies back again and crosses his arms.

At that moment, Isabeau comes back in and face plants onto the other bed with a groan. She flips over so that she's staring up at the ceiling, "Having a coven… is fucking hard work."

Dean and Sam chuckle at her comment.

"Well, we still gotta see that painting, which means you still gotta call Sarah, so…" Dean tells her.

Isabeau purses her lips at him and picks up the phone, clearing her throat. Dean shakes his head fondly and closes his eyes, settling in.

"Sarah, hey, it's Isabeau… Hey, hi… Good. Good, yeah. Umm. What about you?" She asks, sitting up from her spot.

"So, ah, so listen. Sam, Dean and I, were...uh...thinking that maybe we'd like to come back in and look at the painting again. I… I think maybe we are interested in buying it." Isabeau's brow furrows, "What!?"

At Isabeau's tone Dean snaps to attention and Sam gets up to walk over.

Isabeau stands up, "Who'd you sell it to?"

Dean rises up, listening closely.

"Sarah, I need an address right now." Isabeau says urgently.

* * *

The impala roars up to Evelyn's house, the person who bought the painting, and the three jump out. Sarah appears from the car waiting in the driveway.

"Isabeau, what's happening?" Sarah asks her.

Isabeau runs past her, "I told you, you shouldn't have come."

Dean and Sam join Isabeau and they run up the stairs to the front porch.

Dean starts banging on the door, "Hello, anyone home?"

"You said Evelyn might be in danger, what kind of danger?" Sarah asks them.

"I can't knock this sucker down. I gotta pick it." Dean says and starts to pick the lock as Sam and Isabeau bang on the windows, which are covered with metal security bars.

"What are you guys, burglars?" Sarah asks Isabeau.

Isabeau sighs, "I wish it was that simple. Look, you really should wait in the car. It's for your own good."

Dean gets the door open and Sam and Isabeau quickly follow him inside.

"The hell I will. Evelyn's a friend." Sarah runs in after them.

"Evelyn?" Sarah calls out.

"Evelyn." Dean calls out.

They enter the lounge, Evelyn sits half turned away from them. The painting has changed, Isaiah now looks at his daughter rather than straight ahead.

"Evelyn? It's Sarah Blake...Are you all right?" Sarah reaches to touch Evelyn's shoulder.

"Sarah, don't. Sarah!" Isabeau says urgently.

Evelyn's head tips back, exposing her slashed throat.

Sarah screams. She looks up and Isaiah is now looking straight ahead, "Oh my God. Oh My God!"

Isabeau puts her arm around Sarah and shepherds her out of the room.

* * *

Dean and Sam sit at the bar in the motel room with the laptop as Isabeau paces. There is a knock on the door. Isabeau opens it and Sarah storms past her.

"Hey. You all right?" Isabeau asks her, closing the door.

"No, actually, I just lied to the cops and told them I went to Evelyn's, alone, and found her like that." Sarah tells her.

Dean and Sam watch on while Isabeau looks relieved, "Thank you."

Sarah shakes her head, "Don't thank me, I'm about to call them right back if you don't tell me what the hell's going on. Who's killing these people?"

Isabeau looks at Dean and Sam. Dean raises his eyebrows and Sam gives her a look.

Isabeau looks back at Sarah, "'What.'"

"What?" Sarah asks.

"It's not 'who'. It's 'what' is killing those people." Isabeau says.

Sarah looks at Isabeau like she's insane.

Isabeau sighs, "Sarah, you saw that painting move."

"No...no I was...I was seeing things. It's impossible." Sarah says, agitated.

"Yeah well, welcome to our world." Dean comments.

"Sarah, I know this sounds crazy...but we think that that painting is haunted." Sam tells her.

Sarah snicker, but with tears in her eyes, "You're joking." She looks from one to the other of them. They all just stare at her.

"You're not joking. God, the people I hang out with." She says.

"Sarah, think about it." Isabeau says, "Evelyn, the Telesca's, they both had the painting. And there have been others before that. Wherever this thing goes people die. And we're just trying to stop it. And that's the truth."

Sarah takes a deep breath, "Then I guess you'd better show me. I'm coming with you."

Isabeau scoffs, "What? No. Sarah no, you should just go home. This stuff can get dangerous and...and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Look, you guys are probably crazy, but if you're right about this? Well me and my Dad sold that painting that mighta got these people killed. Look, I'm not saying I'm not scared because I am scared as hell but...I'm not going to run and hide either." Sarah strides to the door.

She turns back, "So are we going or what?" She walks out.

"Isabeau?" Dean asks.

Isabeau looks across to where Dean and Sam are sitting. Dean points out the door after Sarah, "You have the best, friends."

* * *

Sam is picking the lock to Evelyn's house.

"Uh... isn't this a crime scene?" Sarah asks.

"You've already lied to the cops. What's another infraction?" Dean asks with a grin.

Once inside Isabeau lifts the painting down from the wall and they examine it.

"Aren't you worried that it's...gonna kill us?" Sarah asks.

Isabeau glances at her, "Nah, it seems to do its thing at night. I think we're alright in the daylight."

Sam and Dean compare the picture in the book with the painting, "Isabeau, check it out." Dean says, handing her the photo, "The razor, it's closed in this one but it's open in that one."

"What are you guys looking for?" Sarah asks.

"Well if the spirit's changing aspects of the painting then it's doing so for a reason." Dean asks.

Sam walks over to Isabeau, standing next to her, "Hey, hey, look at this. The painting in the painting."

"Looks like a crypt, or a mausoleum or something." Isabeau states.

Dean looks around, grabs a thick glass ashtray and uses it as a magnifying glass. He read the name on the Mausoleum, "Merchant."

* * *

Sam, Isabeau, Dean and Sarah walk through the graves. "This is the third boneyard we've checked. I think this ghost is jerking us around." Dean says.

"So this is what you guys do for a living?" Sarah asks.

Isabeau shoves her hands in her pockets, "Not exactly. We don't get paid."

"Well, Mazel tov."

Dean spies the mausoleum, "Over there."

They walk over and Dean breaks the lock and they enter, pushing aside the cobwebs.

There are a number of name plates as well as four urns in front of little glass fronted boxes. Sarah looks into one of the cases at a doll.

"Okay, that right there, is the creepiest thing I've ever seen." Sarah says.

Isabeau's eyes widen and she takes a step back, staring at the doll scared, "Fucking hate porcelain dolls." Dean reaches over and pulls her close to him rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

Sam glances over at Isabeau and speaks to Sarah, "It was a... sort of tradition at the time. Whenever a child died sometimes they'd preserve the kid's favorite toy in a glass case, put it next to the headstone or crypt."

A wind blows in. "Notice anything strange here?" Dean asks.

"Uh ... where do I start?" Sarah asks

Isabeau is able to put on a smile, looking at her, "How about the fucking creepy ass doll?"

Dean gives her a look, but continues to rub his hand up and down on her arm, "No, that's not what I mean. Look at the urns."

"Yeah. There are only four." Sam agrees.

"Yeah, Mom and the three kids. Daddy dearest isn't here." Dean says.

Isabeau huffs, "So where is he?"

* * *

Sam and Isabeau sit on a small wall, waiting outside of an office building. Sarah stands at the door away from them, not able to hear what they're talking about.

"Lying and subterfuge… just a normal day for us." Isabeau comments with a chuckle. She looks over at Sam, who is staring at her.

He smiles at her, " You have a...uh...you have an eyelash on your right...no...uh...you know what…"

Isabeau reaches, but has no idea where it is.

"Do you mind if I… get it?" Sam asks.

Isabeau gave him a look, "Stretch, you never have to ask. No, I don't mind."

Sam reaches for it and holds it on his finger. He chuckles, "Okay, I got it. Make a wish."

Laughing, Isabeau does so, and blows it away.

She stares at Sam and then smiles, "Sam, can I ask you something?"

Sam smiles, "You never have to ask." He uses her own words against her. He laughs when she playfully glares at him, "Yeah, sure."

Isabeau sighs, "I don't mean to be forward… fuck it, I do. I could wait here forever. But, I don't know if I'm delusional for thinking that you want to take that final step."

Sam smiles weakly, "You're not delusional."

Isabeau nods, "But, there's a 'but' coming."

"But... I don't want to lose you."

Isabeau purses her lips, "You lost me."

They both laugh.

Sam sighs, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Isabeau tilts her head, "Sam… what do you mean?"

"I mean like physically hurt… Isabeau, Jess died. And my Mom died too. I don't know, it's like, it's like I'm cursed or something. Like death just follows me around. Look, I'm not scared of much, but I'm scared that if we make this official…"

Isabeau nods, "You're scared that I would end up the same." Sam looks down. "That's very sweet. And very archaic."

Sam looks back up, "Sorry?"

Isabeau chuckles, "I'm a big girl, Stretch, it's not your job to make decisions for me. There's always a chance of getting hurt."

"Isabeau, I'm talking about your life."

Isabeau shakes her head, "And tomorrow I could get hit by a bus. That's what life is. That's what I am…" She pauses, "Sam, I could say the exact same thing for you and Dean. That being around me is a death sentence."

Sam stares at her.

"There's a side of my life that is bad… very bad. I've done some things that not even my family knows. I've… had my low and it's not a pretty sight. If anything, I'm the one who should have that fear, Sam. I'm a monster. A monster that fell in love with two hunters because they brought out the best in me."

"And I get it, I do. That pain that you want to shut out. To not feel that again if something happens to me." Isabeau takes a breath, "I'd be devastated if I lost you or Dean… I'd fall back into my pit."

Isabeau grabs his hand, "I love you, Sam. And I love Dean." She then chuckles, "And if you think I'm dying anytime soon, you're wrong... And one day when I do die... I wanna die knowing that we were together and happy. No matter how long or how short our time is."

Sam sighs deeply, not saying anything and letting Isabeau's words sink in.

Dean suddenly appears, "Am I interrupting something?" Sarah comes up behind him and looks at the two.

"No." Sam says.

Isabeau smiles weakly, "Not at all."

Dean exchanges a look with Sam, "Huh. Apparently."

"So, what'd you get?" Sam asks.

"Paydirt. Apparently the surviving relatives of the Merchant family were so ashamed of Isaiah that they didn't want him interred with the rest of the family. So, they handed him over to the county, the county gave him a pauper's funeral. Economy style. Turns out he wasn't cremated; he was buried in a pine box." Dean explains.

Isabeau smiles, "So there are bones to burn."

"There are bones to burn." Dean repeats.

"Tell me you know where." Sam says.

Dean's smile confirms that he does.

* * *

Dean and Sam dig up Isaiah's grave as Sarah holds a flashlight, helping them see in the darkness. Isabeau stands next to her, watching out for anyone walking in on them.

Sam crawls out of the grave to stand next to Isabeau.

"You guys seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this." Sarah comments.

"Well, ah, this isn't exactly the first grave we've dug." Isabeau smiles at her, "Maybe you should've chosen a better friend?"

Sarah laughs, "No way in hell."

Dean taps his shovel on something hard, "Think I've got something." Dean cracks open the coffin lid to reveal a body.

* * *

Dean pours the salt, Sam the kerosene and Isabeau holds the matches. She didn't want to show Sarah that she was part of the supernatural that they all hunted. Too many questions and Isabeau doesn't feel like answering them. Sarah watches.

Isabeau strikes a match, "You've been a real pain in the ass Isaiah. Good riddance." She tosses the match in.

They all stand and watch it burn.

* * *

The impala pulls up to Evelyn's house. Sam opens the passenger door, "Keep the motor running." Sam tells Dean.

"I thought the painting was harmless now?

Isabeau glances back at her, "Better safe than sorry. We're gonna bury the sucker." Sam gets out and Isabeau follows.

"I'm gonna with you." Sarah says getting out of the car.

"You sure?" Isabeau asks her.

Sarah nods, "Yeah." She closes the door, walking up to the house.

"Hey, hey, Beau." Dean calls out to Isabeau.

Isabeau leans into the open window, "What?"

Dean smirks, "Sway those hips for me when walking up those stairs?"

Isabeau rolls her eyes with a scoff and smirks, "Only you, Dearie. Only you." She shakes her head and walks away.

Sarah, Sam and Isabeau walk up the stairs of the house. Dean smirks from the car when he sees that Isabeau is actually putting a bit of a sway in her walk. She glances over her shoulder, winks and then turns her forward once more.

Sam, Isabeau and Sarah move inside and stop in front of the painting, looking surprised.

"Uh, Isabeau, Sam? You're the expert on all this ghost stuff. Is that painting supposed to look like that?" The little girl is now missing from the painting. "Where's the little girl?" Sarah asks.

Isabeau notices the razor missing as well, "And the razor."

They hear noises and laughter, and look around in time to see the front door shutting on them.

* * *

Dean runs up the stairs and starts shoving at the door. Inside Sam also runs to the door and yanks on it. "Dean! Hey! Is that you?" Sam asks. Isabeau comes up behind him.

"Sammy, Beau, you all right?" Dean asks.

Isabeau pulls out her phone and calls Dean.

Dean answers, "Tell me you slammed the front door."

"Nope, it wasn't me. I think it was the little girl." Isabeau says.

"Girl? What girl?"

"Yeah, she's out of the painting. I think it might've been her all along." Isabeau explains.

"Wasn't the Dad looking down at her? Maybe he was trying to warn us." Dean says while picking the lock.

"Hey, hey, hey, let's recap later all right? Just get us out of here." Isabeau scolds him.

"Well I'm trying to pick the lock, the door won't budge."

Isabeau huffs, "Well, then, break it down."

"Okay genius, let me just grab my battering ram." Dean says sarcastically.

Isabeau pauses, "Oh, you are so gonna get it later." She shakes her head, "Dean, the damn thing is coming."

"Well, you're just gonna have to hold it off until I figure something out. Get some salt or iron." Dean tells her, ignoring her first comment.

Isabeau grabs Sam's hand and Sarah follows, "Come on."

Isabeau rummages through the kitchen drawers, and Sarah and Sam search the lounge cupboards.

Isabeau steps out of the kitchen, "What kind of house doesn't have salt? Low-sodium freaks." She tosses the phone to Sam who puts it to his ear. "Hey, did you find any iron?" She asks them.

"No. What's it for?" Sarah asks.

"Iron repels evil spirits but it's gotta be pure. Hurry." Sam says. The three continue searching.

"Uh, Dean, give me a sec, don't go anywhere." Sam says into the phone.

Outside Dean leaves the front door and starts walking the front porch looking for entrances.

"Look in the chair. Sometimes the seats." Isabeau tells Sarah.

The lounge doors slam shut, wind blows papers everywhere. The girl appears, dragging her doll along the floor by one foot, a razor in her other hand.

"Isabeau? Sam?"

Sam backs up, keeping Isabeau behind him, while she keeps Sarah behind her. The ghost comes closer, moving in an inhuman manner.

"That is just so wrong." Sarah comments.

Sam backs into the fireside implements, and grabs the poker. The girl's face shivers and she roars. Sam swings at the ghost and she disappears.

Isabeau lets out a breath, "Iron?"

Sam nods at her, "Yeah."

Sam presses Isabeau's phone back to his ear. "Sammy, you and Beau okay?" Dean asks on the other line.

"Yeah, for now." Sam answers.

"How we gonna waste her?" Dean asks.

"I don't know, she was already cremated. There's nothing left to burn."

"Then how's she still around?"

Sam sighs, "There must be something else."

"Wait. We used to handle antique dolls at the auction." Sarah tells Sam and Isabeau.

"Well, that's fascinating Sarah, but important right now?" Isabeau asks.

Sarah sighs, "Well, back then, they used to make the dolls in the kids image, I mean everything, they would use the kid's real hair."

"Dean, Sarah said the doll might have the kid's real hair. Human remains, same as bones." Sam explains.

"The Mausoleum!" Sam and Dean say in unison.

* * *

The wind rises again and Sam raises the poker. A heavy desk comes across the room, knocking him and Sarah over and pinning them on the ground.

Isabeau runs to help, "Sam! Sarah!" She starts pulling at the desk. Isabeau hears a noise and spins, coming face to face with the ghost.

Isabeau is thrown through the air and across the room by the ghost. She grunts when she hits the ground, and winces at the pain.

She pulls herself along the floor and pushes herself up against the wall, watching the ghost approach while raising the razor.

Sam uses all his strength to push the desk slowly away from him as Sarah lays unconscious next to him.

The ghost raises the razor, preparing to strike.

"No!" Sam dives for Isabeau pulling her out of the way just as the ghost is about to bring the razor down. At the same moment the ghost rears back, burning up. As she burns her figure reappears back in the painting.

Sam and Isabeau lay on the floor together, looking around, then at each other. Isabeau and Sam chuckle when they realize their position; Isabeau is laying on the ground with Sam on top of her. "If you wanted me under you, Sam. All you had to do was ask." Isabeau jokes.

Sam laughs, shaking his head and answers his phone when it suddenly rings.

"Sam, you guys good?" Dean asks through the line.

Sam looks down at Isabeau, the two staring at each other with a smile. "Not bad." Sam hangs up.

They breathe out heavily, exhausted. "That was fun." Isabeau comments.

Sam shakes his head again and grabs her face with both hands, "Shut up, Beau." He leans down and presses his lips up against hers.

Isabeau reaches up and cups both of Sam's cheeks, caressing them as their lips move with one another. They pull away and Isabeau smiles with joy, "Woah."

* * *

Dean and Sam approach where Isabeau and Sarah stand watching the painting be crated up at the auction house.

Isabeau and Sam share a knowing smile as Dean holds up some papers, "This was archived in the county records. The Merchant's adopted daughter Melanie. Know why she was up for adoption? 'Cause her real family was murdered in their beds."

"She killed them?" Sarah asks as Isabeau scoffs in disbelief.

"Yeah, who would suspect her? Sweet little girl. So then she kills Isaiah and his family. The old man takes the blame. His spirit's been trying to warn people ever since." Sam explains.

"So where's this one go?" One of the workers asks.

"Take it out back and burn it." Sarah says.

Everyone stops and looks at her.

"I'm serious, guys. Thanks." Sarah smiles at the workers and they carry it away.

"So, why'd the girl do it?" Sarah asks the three of them.

Isabeau shrugs, "Killing others? Killing herself? Some people are just born tortured. So when they die, their spirits are just as dark."

"Maybe. I don't really care. It's over, we move on." Dean says with a grin.

Sarah looks at Isabeau, "Uh... I guess this means you're leaving."

Isabeau smiles, "Yeah… It was great to see you. Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

The two girls chuckle, and embrace in one last hug. While hugging, Sarah gives Sam and Dean a look and points two v-sign fingers at her own eyes and then at theirs. She was threatening them. Take care of Isabeau or face the consequences.

Sam and Dean smile with a nod. They already had Isabeau's family and the watchful eyes of two covens on them. They aren't planning on screwing up what they have.

The two girls pull away. "See you around… BoBo." Sarah smirks as Isabeau groans.

"Seriously, that nickname, you couldn't have come up with a better one?" Isabeau asks.

Sarah shakes her head, "I'll miss you."

Isabeau chuckles, "Me too."

The three walk away from Sarah, saying goodbye for the last time.

Once they get outside, Isabeau smiles happily to herself.

Dean notices and smiles, "What's got you all happy?"

Isabeau bites her lip and turns to Sam. She grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him down, placing her lips on his. Sam smiles, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her close, kissing her back.

Dean raises a fist in victory, "Yes!"

Isabeau chuckles, her lips pulling away from Sam's and looks at Dean, who looks just as over the moon happy as her and Sam are.

She looks at Sam, giving him a quick peck on the lips before walking over to Dean.

Dean reaches out and grabs her arm, pulling her into his chest and instantly pressing his lips against hers. His fingers tangle themselves in her hair, his other arm hooked around her waist, holding her close.

They pull away, resting their foreheads against another's, "Is this really happening?" Dean asks.

Isabeau glances over at Sam, who was smiling at the two. Isabeau matches his smile looking back at Dean, "Hell yeah it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that? The three are officially in a relationship and it only took almost dying at the hands of a ghost for it to happen... that sounds so normal for Supernatural.
> 
> The next chapter after this will be an original one, it'll just be to kind of solidify their relationship being official... which the title of the next chapter is going to be called 'It's Official'. That will posted along with episode 20, 'Dead Man's Blood'. So hopefully tomorrow.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed!


	44. It's Official

Isabeau rolls up her sleeves as she crawls onto the bed. She swings one leg over Sam who was laying flat on his stomach without his shirt on, and sits right on his ass.

This isn't the first time they've been in this position. Many nights of aromatherapy made this position a normal thing between not just her and Sam, but Dean as well.

She had everything set up as usual; the candles covering the room with the lights dimmed, incense that Sam specifically chose are lit and fills the room with the scent of lavender.

Isabeau reaches over and covers her hands in oil, and rubs them before starting to massage Sam's lower back.

"Breathe in." Isabeau commands.

She watches as Sam's upper body rises at her command, taking a deep breath in. "And breathe out."

When Sam exhales, Isabeau presses down on his lower back, a satisfying pop causes Sam to moan loudly, though it was muffled by his planted face in his pillow.

Isabeau chuckles as her lavender oil scented hands glide over Sam's back, massaging it thoroughly. Sam turns his head to the side, groaning as she presses down on the tight muscles in his back, "How are you so good at this?" He asks breathlessly.

Isabeau bites her lip, "Years of practice… You're beginning to like this too much, Stretch."

Sam lets out a strained chuckle as Isabeau massages a knot in his back, "What can I say? Your hands are magic… literally."

Isabeau chuckles at him, continuing her work.

"Beau?"

Isabeau hums in response.

"Has anyone done aromatherapy on you?" Sam asks.

Isabeau slows her movements, "...No. I usually do it for others. I never really ask for it in return."

Sam thinks for a moment, "Switch with me."

Isabeau blinks at him, "What?"

Sam sighs, "Switch with me." He repeats, turns over in bed, facing Isabeau and grabs onto her hips, "Let me take care of you."

She smiles at him and nods, "Alright… you think you know what you're doing?"

Sam chuckles, "With all the nights you do this for me, I think I can handle it."

Isabeau shrugs off her jacket and tosses it aside, along with her t-shirt, leaving her in her black lace bra and jeans. She pauses, not knowing if taking off her bra was okay.

Seeing her hesitation, Sam sits up, reaching behind Isabeau to the clasp of her bra. He bends his neck to kiss her softly as he undoes the clasp and pushes down the straps off her shoulders.

Isabeau lets her bra fall and tosses it aside. Her hands make their way up Sam's bare chest, finding themselves entangling into Sam's hair.

Sam gathers Isabeau in his arms, pulling her close, their bare chests flushed against each other. His hands roam her back as his insistent lips part hers. Sam grunts as Isabeau bucks her hips up against his.

"How long do we have?" He asks, briefly breaking apart from their kiss.

"An hour… at least." Isabeau answers, continuing to move her hips. They had an hour before Dean came back. He let Sam and Isabeau have some privacy for a while before coming back and having his own alone time with her.

Sam flips them over so that Isabeau is underneath him and starts working away at taking off of Isabeau's jeans, "Good."

* * *

Isabeau moans out shamelessly as Sam's hands press down her back, "I'm pretty sure the ones with the magic hands."

Sam was on top of her, he put back on his boxers and jeans, massaging her back the same way Isabeau was before having sex for the first time together. Isabeau was still naked and had the sheets only covering her lower half.

She lets out a high pitched whine when Sam presses down on a knot in her upper back. Sam cocks a brow at her, "That's a new one." He comments.

Isabeau chuckles, "Shut up."

The door of their motel room suddenly opens and Dean walks in, raising a brow at the two on the bed, "Guess you guys had a fun time."

Sam rolls his eyes, but smiles, "Shut up, man. What did you do with your free time?"

Dean shrugs off his jacket, placing it on the chair and walks over to his own bed, taking a seat on the edge, "Went down to the bar, played a few games of pool."

Isabeau turns her head to the other side to look at him, "You did good?"

Dean smirks, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket. Isabeau chuckles, "Nice - oh!" She moans out as Sam once again, finds another knot.

"Sam, I think Dean wants his alone time with me." Isabeau comments. Sam looks over and sees that Dean is looking at Isabeau with hooded eyes and is clenching his fist.

Sam shakes his head and swings off of Isabeau, "I'll go get some lunch, I'll get the usual for you guys." He picks up his shirt, putting it on does the same with his shoes.

Isabeau sits up on her elbows, smiling up at Sam. He leans down, giving her a kiss before walking out the door with his jacket, leaving Isabeau and Dean alone.

Isabeau looks over at Dean with a smirk, "You're wearing too many clothes, Dearie."

Dean matches her smirk, "Why don't you come over and fix it, sweetheart?"

Isabeau slowly slides out of Sam's bed, not bothering to grab the sheets to cover up her body. Dean licks his lips as he takes in all of Isabeau and grabs her hips, pulling her down into his lap, "You're so gorgeous, sweetheart."

Dean's lips slowly trail down from her lips to in between her breasts, "So lucky to have you."

Isabeau blissfully sighs, "I'm the lucky one. Having both you and Sam… I couldn't be happier." She reaches down and pulls off Dean's shirt, hands trailing down his chest and to his jeans. But before she undoes them, she gets up from Dean's lap with a smirk.

"Lay back down on the bed, Dearie." She commands.

Dean smirks, kicking off his shoes and lays his head down on the pillows, "Commanding aren't we?"

Isabeau climbs on top of him and undoes the buckle of his jeans, "I can be when I want to. I wasn't lying when I said that I make men weak for me."

Dean chuckles as he helps Isabeau take off his jeans, throwing them onto the floor, "I want to test that theory, sweetheart."

Isabeau bites her lip as she presses up against him, "It's not a theory, Dean. It's a fact."

* * *

Dean traces the patterns of Isabeau's tattoos as she lays on his chest. He smiles softly at her, his other arm hooked around her waist as the sheets cover hers and his most intimate parts.

"The wait was worth it." Dean comments.

Isabeau chuckles, "Definitely."

Dean tilts her chin up and kisses her, "I love you." He says softly.

Isabeau stares at him, eyes raw with emotion, "I love you too."

A knock on the door breaks their gaze. They look over and see Sam's head poking inside, "I'm a good to enter?"

Dean raises a finger at him, "Give us a minute." Sam nods, closing the door. Isabeau rolls off of Dean, letting the sheets fall and gathers up her clothes that were on the floor.

Dean does the same and the two change into a new set of clothing. Isabeau walks over to the door once she's fully dressed and opens it, "Welcome back, Stretch."

Sam smiles as the two kiss, one arm hooked around her middle and places the bag on food on the table. "I brought you your favorite."

Isabeau smiles as she instantly rummages in the bag of food, "Philly cheese steak? Oh, fuck yes. Dean! He got your burger too."

Dean smiles as he takes the box of food, him and Isabeau sitting at the table. Sam turns the overhead lights on and goes around blowing out the candles and starts to put away Isabeau's things.

Isabeau hums,swallowing down her food, "By the way, mom called, she says congratulations to all of us."

Sam glances over at her, "Does everyone know?"

Isabeau licks her lips, "Mom, Dad and the coven do. I think my parents are attempting at explaining our relationship to my brothers. I mean, they're still young so I don't think they'll fully understand it until they're a little bit older."

Dean nods, stuffing more food in his mouth, "Does your Uncle C know?"

Isabeau snorts, "No, haven't told him yet. I was thinking of taking him up on going out to that fancy restaurant last time we talked. Tell him face to face."

"Do you need a couple days to meet up with him?" Sam asks, placing Isabeau's things in her bag.

Isabeau smiles, waving her hand and her phone flies into it, "I think we can quickly meet up tonight and I can be back here by tomorrow morning. Mind if I steal Baby for the night?" She asks Dean.

"Not a scratch on her, Beau." Dean warns.

Isabeau chuckles, flipping open her phone, dialing a number, "I promise, no harm will come to Baby."

* * *

Isabeau huffs as she steps out of Baby in front of the motel room. She just got back from her dinner with her Uncle C and it went as well as it could have.

Of course, Uncle C told her multiple times that if even one of the boys screwed up he was going to drag them to hell and torture them for hurting her.

And, as usual, Uncle C had her dress up and treated her to a highly expensive dinner. After their dinner they spent the night at their family house and immediately made the drive back to Sam and Dean the second the sun started to rise.

She hops onto the hood of the impala and waits for Sam and Dean to exit the motel room. She called them up beforehand to let them know she was almost back and that they should hit the road.

Isabeau smiles as the two brothers step out of the motel room with their bags in their hands. Isabeau already had hers in the trunk. Dean comes up to her, placing his lips on hers, "How'd it go?"

Isabeau hums as Dean walks away and Sam takes his spot in kissing her, "Went as good as it could have. Though he did tell me to warn you that if either of you screw up, he's out for blood."

Sam's eyes widen when she says the last part, "That's better than what I expected."

Isabeau leans back, supporting herself with her hands, "You thought worse?"

"Well, you said it yourself. He doesn't like his 'black mamba' being in a relationship with anyone. We never even met him and he doesn't like us being around you. So… yeah, I thought worse."

Isabeau laughs, "Sam, he knows that when it comes down to it, he has no say in who I'm in a relationship with. And I really don't care if he likes you or not. I'm the one dating you guys, not him… that would be gross if you were."

She shrugs, "All he wants for me is to be happy. So, he accepts it, even though he might not fully like the idea of it. But, don't harp on it, please."

Sam smiles and nods, "Your right, I won't."

Dean comes over and kisses Isabeau on her temple. Isabeau smiles, "If anything I should be worried on how your dad is going to react. I'm grateful that he's been nothing but supportive of my sexuality growing up; that was surprising all in it's own. But, I'm scared of what he'll think of this."

Dean shrugs, "Well, as you said, don't harp on it. We are dating you and if dad doesn't like it, then that's his problem."

Sam raises a brow at him, "Didn't expect that coming from you."

Dean pauses, "Yeah well, I'm not letting what we have go. No matter what anyone says."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small little chapter. I'm not fully comfortable writing full detail sexual scenes/smut or whatever you want to call it. Maybe in the future when I feel like I'm at the writing skill to write a good sexual scene/smut I'll come back and add to it. So forgive me, I just don't feel like I could do it justice yet. But I hope you enjoyed!


	45. Dead Man's Blood Pt.1

Dean and Isabeau are flipping through newspapers, and Sam on his laptop, all of them sitting inside a cafe.

Dean folds his paper, "Well dude. Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What've you got?"

"Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota. Here. A woman in Iowa fell 10,000 feet from an airplane and survived." Sam says.

Isabeau folds her paper and purses her lips, "Sounds more like 'That's Incredible!' than, uh, 'Twilight Zone'."

"Yeah." Sam agrees.

Dean smirks resting his hand on Isabeau's thigh, "Hey, you know, we could just keep heading east. New York, upstate. Maybe have a little fun?"

Isabeau chuckles, "Yeah, I dunno, plus we can have anywhere we want. But in the meantime, we got a lot of work to do Dean, and you know that.

"Yeah, you're right." Dean agrees with her. "What else you got?" He asks Sam.

"Uh, man in Colorado. Local man named Daniel Elkins, was found mauled in his home." Sam explains.

"Elkins? I know that name." Dean says.

Sam shakes his head, "Doesn't ring a bell. Beau?"

Isabeau shrugs, "Doesn't spark anything for me."

"Elkins...Elkins...Elkins." Dean whispers under his breath, pulling out John's journal.

"Sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first they said it was some sort of bear attack and now, they've found some signs of robbery." Sam explains.

"Mm-hmm." Dean starts flicking through John's journal, "There, check it out."

Dean hands the journal to Sam, who puts in between him and Isabeau so she can she. Dean points to 'D Elkins 970-555-0158' written in the journal.

Isabeau glances up at Dean, "You think it's the same Elkins?"

"It's a Colorado area code." Dean simply states. So that was a yes.

* * *

The door opens slowly to Elkins cabin, Sam puts away his lock pick, and Isabeau and Dean shine their flashlights. Sam takes his out as well when they go to step inside.

Isabeau and Dean walk deeper into the cabin, looking around at the mess. "Looks like the maid didn't come today." Dean comments.

Sam crouches by the front door, "Hey, there's salt over here. Right beside the door."

Isabeau flicks through Elkins' journal, "You mean protection against demon salt, or 'oops I spilled the popcorn' salt."

"It's clearly a ring. You think this guy Elkins was a player?" Sam asks.

"Definitely." Isabeau says.

Sam and Dean come up behind Isabeau, "That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's." Sam observes.

Isabeau scoffs, "Yep, except this dates back to the 60s."

The three move into the other room and shine their flashlights around the destruction, including up at the hole in the roof.

"Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one." Sam says.

"Looks like he put up a hell of a fight, too." Dean adds.

"Yeah." Isabeau agrees.

They look around the room. Dean crouches to get a closer look at the floor.

"You got something?" Isabeau asks.

Dean touches the floor, "I dunno. Some scratches on the floor."

"Death throes maybe?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean grabs a page from a notebook, places it over the marks and rubs a pencil lead over it to get an outline.

Dean peels up the paper, which has a lot of blood on the back, and rubbings of characters, "Or maybe a message." He hands the paper to Sam and Isabeau, "Look familiar?"

Sam shines his light on the paper, "Three letters, six digits. The location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop."

"Just the way Dad does it." Dean says.

* * *

Dean opens the post office box, with Isabeau and Sam at his sides. He removes a letter, stares, and shows it to the both of them. They all look at each other, confused.

* * *

The three sit inside the parked impala, Isabeau looking at the letter between them, "'J.W.' You think? John Winchester?" She asks.

"I don't know. Should we open it?" Dean asks.

There is a knock on Dean's window. Dean gasps, rears back, automatically raising his arm, fist clenched.

It's John Winchester. When John sees he has shocked them, he smiles.

"Dad?" Dean asks.

John gets in the backseat.

All three of them in the front turn to look back at him. "Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?" Sam asks.

John nods, "Yeah, I'm ok. I read the news about Daniel, I got here as fast as I could. I saw you three at his place."

"Why didn't you come in Dad?" Sam asks softly.

"You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed... by anyone or anything. Nice job of covering your tracks by the way." John says.

Dean looks a little proud, "Yeah, well, we learned from the best."

Isabeau shakes her head, "Wait, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?"

John nods, "Yeah. He was... he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting… along with your father." Isabeau quickly glances down.

"Well you never mentioned him to us." Sam says.

"We had a... we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years." He gestures to the envelope in Isabeau's hand, "I should look at that."

Isabeau hands it to him and he opens it, "'If you're reading this, I'm already dead'... that son of a bitch."

"What is it?" Dean asks.

"He had it the whole time." John says.

"Dad, what?" Sam asks.

"When you searched the place, did you, did you see a gun? An antique, a Colt revolver, did you see it?"

Dean thinks for a second, "Ah, there was, there was an old case but it was empty."

"They have it."

"You mean whatever killed Elkins?" Isabeau asks.

"We gotta pick up the trail." John says, starting to get out of the car.

"Wait. You want us to come with you?" Sam asks.

John leans down the window, "If Elkins was telling the truth, we gotta find this gun."

"The gun. Why?"

"Because it's important, that's why."

Sam shakes his head, "Dad, we don't even know what these things are yet."

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best: Vampires." John says and Isabeau's eyes widen.

"Vampires? I thought there was no such thing." Dean asks.

"You never even mentioned them, Dad." Sam adds.

John stares at Isabeau, "You want to tell them?" Sam and Dean look over at Isabeau.

Isabeau sighs, "Everyone thought they were extinct. That Elkins and… and others had wiped them out. They were wrong."

Isabeau chuckles bitterly, "Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them, and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust, that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late."

John raises a brow at her, and Isabeau huffs.

"Plus, one of the members of my coven is a hybrid of a vampire and witch. So things work a little bit different for her."

"Is she around? Maybe she can help?" John asks.

Isabeau shakes her head, "No, Lucy is back home and she should stay there. I'm not risking it."

* * *

Sam and Isabeau are sleeping peacefully on one bed while Dean does the same in the other of their motel room.

John, sitting at the table with a radio held in both hands. "Unit 22 let me confirm. Mile marker 41,abandoned car. You need a workup?" The dispatcher says through the radio.

"Copy that. Possible 207. Better get forensics out here." The man on the scene answers.

He puts it down, jumps to his feet and grabs his jacket.

"Sam, Isabeau, Dean, let's go." John says, slapping their feet.

Dean immediately answers, although still asleep, "Mm-hmm."

Sam and Isabeau half sit up and Dean starts rubbing his eyes.

"I picked up a police call." John tells them, putting on his jacket.

"What happened?" Isabeau asks groggily.

"A couple called 911, found a body in the street. Cops got there and everyone was missing. It's the vampires." John says.

Sam rises from the bed, "How do you know?"

"Just follow me, ok?" John says as he leaves.

Sam gets up and walks across the room, putting his jacket on. Isabeau doesn't get up from the bed, staring after Sam.

Dean sits up, still half asleep, "Huh, vampires. It's funnier every time I hear it."

* * *

**John and Isabeau finish talking to a cop on the scene and start walking back to the boys, waiting by the impala.**

Sam looks over, slightly sulky, "I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with them."

Dean looks over at him, "Oh, don't tell me it's already starting."

"What's starting?" Sam asks.

Dean turns to his father and Isabeau, "What have you got?"

Isabeau sighs, "It was them all right. Looks like they're heading west." She walks over to Sam, rubbing her hand in a small circle on his back.

"We'll have to double back to get around that detour." John adds in.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asks.

"Sam…" Dean starts.

"I just wanna know we're going in the right direction." Sam says sharply to Dean.

"We are." John nods.

"How do you know?" Sam asks.

John stares at him and hands something to Dean, "We found this."

Dean looks down at the object, "It's a...a vampire fang."

Isabeau shakes her head, "Not fangs, teeth. The second set descends when they attack."

John looks at Sam, "Any more questions?"

Sam looks away and stays silent. Isabeau smiles bitterly, continuing to rub Sam's back.

"All right, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight." John says. They start heading for their respective cars.

"And, Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were going to ruin it." John says. Isabeau's eyes widen at John. That was a low blow.

Dean looks down at his car and Sam looks at Dean with a 'told you so' look on his face. Dean grimaces.

* * *

Sam is driving, following John's truck.

"Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks." Isabeau explains to both Sam and Dean about her knowledge. She did after all hunt three vampire nests in one month.

"I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple." Dean wonders aloud.

"That's probably what Dad's thinking. Course it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks." Sam comments grumpily and Isabeau stares face forward, deadpan.

"So it is starting." Dean says, looking over at Sam.

Sam glances over, "What?"

"Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already?" Dean asks.

Sam scoffs, "No. Look, I'm happy he's ok, all right? And I'm happy that we're all working together again."

Dean nods, "Well good."

"It's just the way he treats us, like we're children." Sam says, unable to help himself.

"Oh God." Dean groans.

"I mean, I get why he can't prevent Isabeau from doing anything. He has no power over her. But, he barks orders at us Dean, he expects us to follow 'em without question. He keeps us on some crap need-to-know deal." Sam rants.

"He does what he does for a reason."

"What reason?"

"Our job!" Dean exclaims, "There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right? That's just the way the old man runs things."

"Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not anymore, all right? Not after everything we have been through, Dean. I mean, are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line, and letting him run the whole show?" Sam looks at Dean, challenging him.

Dean gives Sam a long look, "If that's what it takes." Dean says weakly, as if he's convincing himself.

Sam shakes his head. He then sighs, "How do you know all about this, Beau?" He asks softly. He wasn't angry at Isabeau for being able to keep up with his father. Isabeau didn't take orders from their father because it wasn't John's place. John wasn't her father, hell, even her own father couldn't tell her what to do.

"Remember when we first picked you up at Stanford and I said I was hunting by myself for a while?" Isabeau asks, recalling the very beginning of their adventure.

Sam nods, as Dean listens intently.

Isabeau sighs, "Well, I took out three vampire nests in the span of a month before Dean picked me up."

Sam and Dean stare at her in awe, "What?"

Isabeau chuckles while nodding, "Yeah. Part of the reason why I know this is for sure vampires. Hunted way too many of them… and there will always be more."


	46. Dead Man's Blood Pt.2

Morning turned to night and Sam is still driving.

Dean is on his phone, "Yeah Dad. All right, got it." He hangs up, "Pull off at the next exit."

"Why." Sam asks, angry.

"Cause Dad thinks we've got the vampire's trail." Dean answers.

"How." Sam asks, even more angry.

Dean shakes his head, "I don't know… he didn't say."

Sam guns the engine, Dean and Isabeau look at him like he's crazy.

Dean turns to look at John's truck as Sam overtakes it and passes it. Once in front Sam slams on the brakes, causing the impala to swerve sideways in front of John's truck. They both stop.

"Oh crap." Isabeau groans.

"Here we go." Dean groans as well as Sam gets out of his car. "Sam!" Dean shouts as he and Isabeau follow out of the car.

Sam and John, who is also out of his truck, both looking angry.

"What the hell was that?" John asks.

"We need to talk."

John comes to a halt face to face with Sam, "About what?"

"About everything. Where we going, Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?" Sam asks.

Dean comes up to them as Isabeau hangs back, watching on, "Sammy, come on, we can Q and A after we kill all the vampires."

"Your brother's right, we don't have time for this." John says.

"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous for us to be together. Now out of the blue you need our help." Sam starts yelling, "Now obviously something big is going down, and we wanna know what!"

Isabeau flinches when she hears Sam yell.

"Get back in the car." John orders.

"No."

"I said get back in the damn car."

Sam nods, "Yeah. And I said no."

Dean hovers, "Ok you made your point tough guy. Look, we're all tired, we can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it, come on."

Dean grabs Sam and pushes him back toward the car. Sam goes, still staring at John, "This is why I left in the first place." Sam mumbles and Isabeau's eyes widen.

"What'd you say?" John asks.

Sam swings back, "You heard me."

"Yeah. You left. Your brother and me, even Isabeau, we needed you. You walked away, Sam." John jabs at him.

"You walked away!" John yells in Sam's face.

"Stop it, both of you." Isabeau exclaims, clenching her fist in rising anger. Dean glances back at her, freezing when he sees Isabeau's eyes glowing a fiery blue.

"You're the one who said 'don't come back', Dad. You're the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off that you couldn't control me anymore!" Sam yells.

"That's enough!" Isabeau screams. Multiple lightning bolts come down from the sky with a loud crack, hitting the ground all around them.

They all flinch at the lightning, turning to Isabeau and freezing. Isabeau's hair is ignited in blue flames, glaring at Sam and John.

"Pack your shit…" Isabeau growls out. "All of you!" Isabeau's hair burns brighter at her yell and electricity flies through her hands.

Isabeau takes a deep breath, her flames and electricity dissipating and her eyes no longer glowing, "I mean it." She moves back to the impala and into the backseat, slamming it shut.

Sam and John stare at each other as Dean comes between them.

Sam gets into the Impala and John turns back to his car.

Dean stands in the middle, alone and looks from one to the other, "Terrific." He says into the night air.

* * *

"Son of a bitch. So they're really not afraid of the sun?" Dean says, hiding in the trees with John and Sam as they watch the vampires go back into the barn.

Isabeau hums, "Direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn. The only way to kill 'em is by beheading. And yeah, they sleep during the day. Doesn't mean they won't wake up."

"So, I guess walking right in's not our best option." Dean says.

"Actually, that's the plan." John says.

* * *

Dean opens the trunk. The boys and Isabeau weapon up while John does the same from an automatic hidden compartment that slides from the back of his truck.

Dean looks over, "Dad, I've got an extra machete if you need one."

Dean holds it up, but John unveils a massive shiny serrated edge machete from a leather holder, "I think I'm ok. Thanks."

"Wow." Dean says, checking it out.

"So... you guys really wanna know about this Colt?" John asks. Isabeau leans up against the impala, strapping two kukri machetes to her outer thighs. They were her usual for a vampire hunt.

"Yes, sir." Sam answers for them.

"It's just a story, a legend really. Well I thought it was. Never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter…"

"Back in 1835, when Halley's comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo. They say Samuel Colt made a gun. A special gun. He made it for a hunter, a man like us only on horseback. Story goes he made thirteen bullets, and this hunter used the gun a half dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. And somehow Daniel got his hands on it."

"They say... they say this gun can kill anything." John explains to them.

"Kill anything like, supernatural anything?" Dean asks.

"Like the demon." Isabeau states.

John nods at her, "Yeah, the demon. Ever since I picked up its trail I've been looking for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun… we may have it."

* * *

A barn window swings inwards. John jumps through and disappears. Isabeau follows, then Sam and then Dean. They survey the room as Dean quietly closes the barn window. Vampires are sleeping in hammocks and all is quiet.

* * *

John looks into the stalls and Isabeau, Sam and Dean make their way through the barn. As Dean passes a hammock he kicks an empty bottle on the ground. It clinks but the vampire doesn't wake.

Isabeau finds the '911' woman tied up against the pole, sleeping or unconscious. Isabeau couldn't tell.

"Dean. Sam." She whispers, calling them over. Isabeau begins to untie the woman and they hear a noise.

Dean looks behind them, "There's more."

Dean makes his way to a locked metal grid. Inside people are tied up, also sleeping or unconscious. There is a lock on the door and he grabs a metal hook to break the lock.

Isabeau and Sam look up sharply at the noise and they look over to the hammocks. There is no movement.

The woman tied up against the pole begins to stir. "Hey. Hey hey, shh, I'm here to help you." Isabeau whispers to her.

The woman lets out an unearthly roar. Sam rears back, pulling Isabeau along with him and away from the woman. Dean looks around and the vampires wake.

"Isabeau! Sam!"

* * *

John turns toward the noise.

Beside him Luther and Kate wake. Luther rears up and throws him against the wall.

John grabs a rock and hurls it at the blackened window, letting in the daylight. Luther and Kate flinch away.

"Boys, Isabeau, run!"

* * *

The three run, Sam and Dean calling to their Dad as they do and the vampires give chase. Isabeau, Sam and Dean burst out the barn doors into the daylight and run up the slope to the cars before turning to look back.

"Dad?" Dean calls out. Nothing. "Dad!"

After a long pause John comes running up the slope. As soon as they see him, the three turn to leave.

"They won't follow. They'll wait till tonight. Once a vampire has your scent, it's for life." John explains to them.

"Well, what the hell do we do now?" Dean asks.

Isabeau smiles, "You gotta find the nearest funeral home, that's what."

The boys look at her, confused, then at each other.

* * *

Sam paces their motel room as John sits at the table. "It shouldn't be taking this long. I should go help." Sam says.

"Isabeau and Dean's got it." John reassures him.

John watches Sam pace, "Sammy."

Sam turns to him, "Yeah."

John sighs, "I don't think I ever told you this but ... the day you were born, you know what I did?"

"No."

John smiles, "I put a hundred bucks into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for your brother."

John glances down, "It was a college fund. And every month I'd put in another hundred dollars, until... Anyway my point is, Sam, this is never the life that I wanted for you."

"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?" Sam asks.

"You gotta understand something. After your mother passed all I saw was evil, everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you...prepared. Ready. Except somewhere along the line I ... uh ... I stopped being your father and I ... I became your, your drill sergeant."

Sam walks closer to John and sits down as he continues. "So when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought was, that you were gonna be alone. Vulnerable. Sammy, it just... it never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me - We're just different."

Sam huffs a laugh.

"What?" John asks.

Sam shakes his head, "We're not different. Not anymore. With what happened to Mom and Jess…" Sam laughs, "Well we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone."

"I guess you're right, son." John smiles.

"Hey Dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?" Sam asks.

"Spent it on ammo."

They look at each other. Sam cracks up and so does John.

John stares at Sam, "I'm happy for you boys."

Sam looks at him confused, "What about?"

John shakes his head with a chuckle, "Isabeau. You and Dean finally fessed up. Proud of you."

"You're… okay with that? For both Dean and I dating Isabeau at the same time?" Sam cocks a brow, "How did you even know?"

John chuckles, "Sammy, it's obvious. I've known something was going on between the three of you for years. Surprised me when you were with Jess."

Sam looks down at Jess's name, "I lied to myself when I was with Jess. And I think she knew that too."

John nods, "It happens. From what I heard Isabeau did the same. Found people to distract herself from you two."

Sam nods, understanding.

John sighs, "I'm happy that you're with her. She's good for you, and you two are good for her… She's going to need you both for what's to come."

Just as Sam was going to ask John what he meant, Dean and Isabeau enter. "Whew. Man, some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys." Isabeau comments,walking over to Sam with Dean next to her.

"Did you get it?" John asks.

Dean fumbles in his pocket, withdrawing a paper bag and from that a bottle full of something red and he hands it to John.

"You know what to do."

* * *

Isabeau leans over the open hood of the impala, looking at the engine on the side of the road.

"Car trouble?" A woman asks behind her.

Isabeau turns to see Kate. "Let me give you a lift. I'll take you back to my place." Kate suggests.

Isabeau grins, "Nah I'll pass. I usually draw the line at necrophilia."

"Oooh." Kate backhands her onto the ground and another vampire approaches. Kate grabs Isabeau's face and lifts her into the air.

Isabeau grabs her wrist, "I don't usually get this friendly until the second date but…"

"You know, we could have some fun. I always like to make new friends." Kate says as she lowers Isabeau to her level and kisses her, still holding her cheeks tightly.

The other vampire watches, smiling.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm already taken." Isabeau says.

An arrow pierces the other vampire's back and a second later the same happens to Kate, and she let's go of Isabeau.

Kate looks down at the point sticking out of her chest, "Dammit."

John, Dean and Sam emerge from the trees carrying crossbows. Dean makes his way over to Isabeau, making sure she's okay.

"It barely even stings." Kate says.

"Give it time sweetheart. That arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you isn't it?" John asks with a smug smile.

Kate looks shocked, then wavers and loses consciousness. Dean catches her as Isabeau pulls out one of her machetes from her thigh strap.

"Load her up." John orders Dean and looks over at Isabeau, "You want to take care of this one?" He gestures to the other vampire.

Isabeau smiles and approaches the other vampire who is sitting groggily on the ground. She looks over at Sam, nodding at him to follow Dean and John.

Sam lowers his own machete following the others.

Isabeau looks down at the vampire and raises her machete, and she brings it down, blood spraying over a boulder.

* * *

John hands Dean a bag and they move from the impala's trunk back toward the campfire where Sam and Isabeau are patrolling with a machete.

"Toss this on the fire. Saffron, skunk's cabbage and trillium. It'll block our scent and hers, until we're ready." John says.

Dean sniffs it and coughs, "Stuff stinks!"

"Well, that's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes, and you stand a chance of not being detected." John tells them as Dean throws it into the fire.

"You sure they'll come after her?" Sam asks.

Isabeau nods, "Yeah. Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is going to wear off soon, so we don't have a lot of time."

"A half hour oughta do it." Sam says.

"And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can." John orders.

"But…"

"Well, Dad, you can't take care of them all yourself." Dean says.

John gestures to the vampire, "I'll have her. And the Colt."

"But after. We're gonna meet up, right? Use the gun together. Right?" Sam asks.

There's a long pause. "You're leaving again ,aren't you. You still wanna go after the demon alone. You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this." Sam says.

"Like what?"

"Like children."

"You are my children. I'm trying to keep you safe." John states.

"Dad, all due respect but, uh, that's a bunch of crap." Dean says.

Sam, Isabeau and John look at Dean, shocked.

"Excuse me?" John asks, testing Dean.

"You know what Sammy, Beau and I have been hunting. Hell you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe." Dean points out.

"It's not the same thing, Dean."

"Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight?" Dean asks.

"This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive." John explains.

"You mean you can't be as reckless."

"Look…" John shakes his head, "I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mother's death ... it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die, too. I won't."

John pauses, looking over at Isabeau, "I also can't watch the woman that my sons love die."

Isabeau's eyes widen at John's words. She only guessed that he was respecting their relationship. That shocked her more than anything.

Dean shakes his head, "What happens if you die? Dad, what happens if you die, and we coulda done something about it? You know I've been thinking. I ...think maybe Sammy's right about this one. We should do this together."

Sam nods.

"We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it." Dean says.

"We're running out of time. You do your job and you get out of the area. That's an order." John walks away.

Dean looks down, emotional and Sam clenches his jaw. Isabeau watches after John, and then smirks to herself. John couldn't order her around even if he tried.

* * *

A vampire swigs from a bottle in the nest. Hearing a noise, he looks up. He moves to stand in front of the barn doors, considers them a moment, then shrugs and takes another swig.

He turns to find Isabeau behind him.

She smirks at him, eyes glowing a fiery orange, "Boo."

Isabeau swings her machete, then makes her way back to the locked container of people.

"I told you I'd come back." She begins breaking the hinges.

* * *

John has to stop when the road is blocked ahead of him by Luther, three other vampires, and two cars.

"Get out!" Luther commands. John steps out of the truck to face them. "Who are you?" Luther asks.

"Name's Winchester." John answers.

"Where are your friends?"

John smiles, "Cleaning out your nest."

Luther smiles tightly, "Where's Kate?"

John turns back to the truck, "Come here, sweetheart." He pulls a groggy and tied up Kate out, holding a large knife to her throat.

"Kate, you all right?" Luther asks.

"Dead man's blood." Kate says.

"You son of a bitch."

"I want the Colt. Elkins gun. Trade." John commands.

Luther shakes his head, "Is that what this is all about? I mean, you can't shoot us all right? We'll kill you."

John smiles, "Oh, I don't need it for you. I'm saving it for something else. Put the colt down, or she goes first."

"All right. Just don't hurt her." Luther places the Colt on the ground.

"Back up. Further." John drags Kate forward and leans down with her to pick up the gun. Kate works at the ties around her wrists.

"It's a nice move, you almost made it." Luther tells John.

Kate swings around, knocking John back against his truck and he drops the gun. Luther approaches, backhanding John back against his open car door, shattering the glass before he lands unconscious on the ground. Luther approaches again.

An arrow pierces one of the vampires and Isabeau, Sam and Dean run out of the trees.

Dean and Isabeau pause to line up and shoot another two vampires with their crossbows.

Sam moves toward Luther who backhands him. Isabeau throws her crossbow aside and grabs a machete from her strap and turns to help, but Luther has his arm around Sam's throat. Dean pauses as well.

"Don't! I'll break his neck. Put the blade down." Luther says.

For a moment Isabeau does nothing, her glowing a fiery orange. Luther tilts his head at her and tightens his hold on Sam's neck, cutting off his air supply completely. Isabeau drops the machete, but her eyes still glow.

Luther chuckles at her, "Interesting. A hybrid killing other supernatural beings. Why can't you leave us alone. We have as much right to live as you do."

"I don't think so." John says from behind.

Luther turns and John raises the colt and shoots him between the eyes. Luther lets go of Sam who stumbles away, gasping, and Isabeau and Dean pull Sam behind them.

A sigil appears where the bullet hit Luther and he stumbles. A brief flash of light reflects his skeleton, before he falls to his knees.

"Luther!" Kate cries out in horror.

Another flash of light passes through Luther and he slumps to the ground dead.

Kate starts toward John, but another vamp grabs her, pulling her to their car. They take off, wheels screeching and John smiles in satisfaction.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean are packing as John enters. "So boys… Isabeau."

They turn to face him. "Yes sir." Sam says.

"You ignored a direct order back there." John says.

"Yes sir." Sam repeats.

"Yeah but we saved your ass." Dean says.

Sam looks sideways at Dean, nervously as Isabeau hides a smile behind her hand. John looks steadily at Dean and he swallows.

John nods, "You're right."

"I am?"

John nods, "It scares the hell out of me. You two are all I've got. But I guess we are stronger as a family. So...we go after this damn thing. Together."

"Yes sir." Sam and Dean say in unison.

John cocks a brow at Isabeau, "Isabeau…"

Isabeau rolls her eyes, "Oh, come on! We all know that not even the three of you combined can stop me when I have my mind set."

The three men chuckle and Dean pulls her close as Sam holds onto her hand. John stares at the three with a smile. He was going to make one thing certain when all of this was done. That his sons and Isabeau would make out of this alive and happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> John knows and he's happy for them! Yay! It just hit me that I literally have to write two more episodes and then season one is done... wow. Didn't think I would get this far, but I enjoy writing this series. Also... there's 'Supernatural The Anime Series'... I bought it and I haven't watched it yet. But I am excited too. Also the first half of season 15 is on Netflix. I watched the first episode and I screamed like a banshee. I'm kind of holding off on it until the entire season comes out.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed!


	47. Salvation Pt.1

The walls of the motel are covered with John's research; all information on the demon. Weather charts, hieroglyphics, pictures, newspaper articles, written notes, a shelf of books and more.

John sits at a paper strewn desk with the Colt in front of him. Sam and Isabeau lean against the counter while Dean paces.

"So this is it. This is everything I know. Look, our whole lives we've been searching for this demon right? Not a trace, just...nothing. Until about a year ago. For the first time I picked up a trail." John explains.

"And that's when you took off." Dean concludes.

John nods, "Yeah. That's right. The demon must have come out of hiding, or hibernation."

Isabeau crosses her arms, "All right so what's this trail you found?"

"It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California. Houses burned down to the ground. It's going after families, just like it went after us."

"Families with infants?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. The night of the kid's six-month birthday."

"I was six months old that night?" Sam asks.

"Exactly six months."

"So basically, this demon is going after these kids for some reason. The same way it came for me? So Mom's death...Jessica. It's all because of me?" Sam summarizes.

"We don't know that Sam." Dean interjects.

"Oh really? Cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure, Dean!" Sam pushes off from the counter.

Dean turns to him frustrated, "For the last time, what happened to them was not your fault."

"Right. It's not my fault but it's my problem!" Sam shouts. Isabeau presses her fingers to her temple, she was getting sick of this.

"No it's not your problem it's our problem!" Dean shouts back.

Isabeau stands in between them, "Okay. That's enough." She glances back and forth between Sam and Dean. The brothers look down in shame. They knew she hated them fighting.

John smiles proudly at Isabeau. She was good with his sons. The one that extinguished the flames between them… which was ironic in itself.

Everyone takes a breath and calms down.

Sam looks back up, "So why's it doing it. What does it want?"

John stands up, "Look I wish I had more answers, I do. I've always been one step behind it. Look, I've never gotten there in time to save..." John looks down, unhappy.

Dean nods, looking up from his father's research, "All right so how do we find it..before it hits again."

John looks over at Dean, "There's signs. It took me a while to see the pattern but it's there in the days before these fires, signs crop up in an area. Cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked...and…"

Isabeau furrows her brow, "These things happened in Lawrence."

John nods, "A week before Mary died. And in Palo Alto...before Jessica. And these signs, they're starting again."

Sam moves to stand next to Isabeau, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Where?"

"Salvation, Iowa."

* * *

John's truck speeds along a misty road, followed closely by the impala. After a few moments he pulls off to the side, the Impala follows and everyone springs out of their seats.

"God damn it!" John exclaims in frustration.

"What is it?" Dean asks.

John hits his truck, "Son of a bitch."

"What is it?!" Dean repeats the question.

"I just got a call from Caleb." John says.

"Is he okay?" Isabeau asks.

John nods, "He's fine. Jim Murphy's dead."

Sam looks at him, shocked, "Pastor Jim? How?"

"His throat was slashed. He bled out." John says, tears in his eyes and everyone sighs at the loss. "Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place."

"A demon." Dean guesses. John nods. "The Demon?" Dean asks.

John shakes his head, "I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're getting close."

Isabeau nods, "What do we do?"

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health centre in this county. We split up, cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's going to be six months old in the next week." John orders.

Sam leans against the impala, "Dad, that could be dozens of kids. How do we know which one's the right one?"

"We check 'em all. That's how. You got any better ideas?" John asks.

Sam pauses, "No sir."

John nods at them and they all turn back to their cars. John stops, leaning on his trunk.

Dean turns back as he opens his door and pauses, "Dad?"

"Yeah. It's Jim. You know, I can't…." John says upset and then his face hardens, "This ends, now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes."

They all get back in their cars and pull back onto the road, speeding into the distance.

* * *

John pulls up in front of 'Salvation Children's Hospital'. He opens the container between the seats and shuffles through the number of IDs there, selecting one and pinning it to his jacket.

* * *

Sam is sitting in a filing room, a nurse brings him another load of files.

"Here you go officer." The nurse places the files on the table, next to Sam.

"Thank you." Sam says.

"You're welcome." The nurse gives him a smile and walks away.

Sam continues copying birth certificate information into his notebook.

* * *

A pretty receptionist hands a file to a hospital worker, then looks down at her clipboard. She looks up again as Isabeau and Dean walk in and pauses, looking around.

She smiles as they turn to her desk.

"Hi. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Isabeau smiles at her politely, "Ah, yes…" Isabeau and Dean pull out their badges.

* * *

Sam comes out of Salvation Medical Center, flipping through his notebook, then clutches his head as a vision hits him.

The demon is in a babies nursery. He flashes to a mother looking out the window, he hears a train, and then see's the demon again.

As soon as the vision finishes and he can focus again he quickly pulls out a map.

* * *

Later Sam is in a park, checking his map again. As he does he gets the vision flashes again. When it's over he realizes the house from the vision is in front of him. The woman from his vision pushes a pram along the road while holding an umbrella.

He approaches, "Hi. Here, let me hold that for you. You look like you don't need that anymore."

The woman smiles at him, "Oh. Thanks."

She closes her umbrella while Sam holds her pram. He looks inside, "She's gorgeous. Is she yours?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, wow. Hi!" Sam smiles down at the baby. He then turns to the mom, "Oh sorry, I'm rude. I'm Sam. I just moved in up the block with my partner, Isabeau."

The two shake hands, "Oh, hey. I'm Monica. This is Rosie."

"Rosie? Hi Rosie."

"So, welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thank you." He glances down at Rosie, who is sitting peaceful, "She's such a good baby!"

Monica smiles, "I know, I mean she...she never cries. She just stares at everybody. Sometimes she looks at you and I swear it's...it's like she's reading your mind."

Sam pauses, smiling, "What about you Monica? Have you lived here long?"

Monica points over to her house, "My husband and I, we bought our place just before Rosie was born."

"And how old's Rosie?"

Monica smiles, "She's six months, today. She's big right? Growing like a weed."

"Yeah. Monica…" Sam says distracted.

"Yeah?"

Sam sighs, "Just uh, just take care of yourself okay?"

Monica nods, "Yeah, you too Sam. And to Isabeau as well. We'll see you around." Sam walks away.

As Monica turns to her house, a station wagon pulls into the drive, honking, "There's Daddy!"

Sam's vision returns again. The clock in the bedroom stops, the nursery rhyme playing stops, a wind sweeps through. A black figure approaches the bed. Monica pushes the door open from the hallway and see's the figure standing over her daughter's bed.

"What are you…" Monica says.

The figure turns to her. She is pulled back to the wall and slides up it to the ceiling. Blood starts dripping from her stomach.

"Rosie!"

The room bursts into flame.

Sam looks around thinking the vision is over, but his head throbs as another one flashes. Isabeau is staring up at the demon inside the nursery, surrounded by fire. The demon crouches down in front of her and leans into her ear.

Isabeau's eyes widen as it whispers something into her ear.

* * *

Sam sits at the table, as Isabeau rubs his temples from behind him. Dean and John sit on the end of each bed, watching them.

"A vision." John says flatly.

"Yes. I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling." Sam says slowly and painfully.

"And you think this is going to happen to this woman you met because…" John trails off.

"Because these things happen exactly the way I see them." Sam explains.

"It started out as nightmares. Then it started happening while he was awake." Isabeau explains.

Dean rises and crosses to the counter behind Sam and Isabeau to get more coffee.

Sam winces, "Yeah. It's like the closer I get to anything to do with the demon the stronger the visions get."

"All right. When were you going to tell me about this?" John asks,

Isabeau, Sam and Dean stop and turn to look at John.

"We didn't know what it meant." Dean answers.

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone and you call me." John says.

Isabeau shakes her head, going back to rubbing Sam's temples.

Dean dumps the coffee jug and cup back on the counter and strides toward John, "Call you? Are you kidding me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence all right? Sam called you when Isabeau was dying. I mean, getting you on the phone? I got a better chance of winning the lottery."

Isabeau looks away and Sam grabs her hands, kissing them softly and then holding them.

John nods, "You're right. Although I'm not too crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry."

"Look guys, visions or no visions, fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight. And this family's gonna go through the same hell we went through." Sam says.

"No they're not. No one is, ever again." John says firmly.

Isabeau phone rings. She sighs, pulling her hands away from Sam's and answers it, not bothering to look at the caller I.D., "Hello?"

"Isabeau?" A woman's voice responds.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Who is this?"

"Think real hard, it'll come to you."

Isabeau's face falls, realizing who's on the other line, "Meg."

Dean, Sam and John start and turn to Isabeau.

"Last time I saw you, you fell out of a window." Isabeau says.

"Yeah, no thanks to you. That really hurt my feelings by the way." Meg tells her.

"Just your feelings? That was a seven-story drop."

"Let me speak to John."

Isabeau looks over at John, "John." She shakes her head, "I don't know where John is."

"My Isabeau, don't lie to me." Meg says.

Isabeau's jaw clenches, "For the last time, I am not yours."

Meg chuckles, "Keep telling yourself that… let me speak to him now."

Sam grabs onto Isabeau's hand as Dean rests one of his on her shoulder. Isabeau hesitates then hands the phone to John.

"This is John." John answers.

"Howdy, John. I'm Meg. I'm a friend of your boys and… my Isabeau. I'm also the one who watched Jim Murphy choke on his own blood...still there, John-boy?"

John pauses, "I'm here."

"Well that was yesterday. Today I'm in Lincoln. Visiting another old friend of yours. He wants to say hi..."

Meg walks to a man tied to a chair and holds the phone to his ear.

"John, whatever you do don't give…" The man says.

Meg pulls the phone away.

"Caleb?" John asks.

Sam and Dean react to the name instantly, going on alert. Isabeau watches, she didn't know a lot of John's friends.

Meg puts her finger on her lips in a shhh-ing noise and smiles.

"You listen to me. He's got nothing to do with anything. You let him go." John says.

"We know you have the colt, John." Meg says.

John shakes his head, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, okay. Well listen to this." Meg slits Caleb's throat and holds the phone out.

John can hear him gasping and drowning in his own blood. "Caleb. Caleb!"

"Can you hear that? That's the sound of your friend dying. Now, let's try this again. We know you have the gun, John. Word travels fast. So, as far as we're concerned you just declared war. And this is what war looks like. It has casualties." Meg says.

"I'm gonna kill you, you know that?"

Meg chuckles, "Oh, John, please. Mind your blood pressure. So this is the thing. We're going to keep doing what we're doing. And your friends, anyone who has ever helped you, gave you shelter, anyone you ever loved. They'll all die unless you give us that gun… With the exception of Isabeau's family, of course."

Meg smirks to herself, "Can't hurt what's protected."

John is quiet, thinking. And the three are close by his side.

"I'm waiting Johnny, better answer before the buzzer." Meg reminds him.

"Okay." John answers.

"Sorry? I didn't quite get that."

John nods, "I said okay, I'll bring you the colt." The three look at him like he's crazy.

"There's a warehouse in Lincoln, on the corner of Wabash and Lake. You're gonna meet me there." Meg orders.

John shakes his head, "It's gonna take me about a day's drive to get there."

"Meet me there at midnight tonight."

"That's impossible. I can't get there in time and I can't just carry a gun on the plane."

Meg raises a brow, "Oh. Well I guess your friends die don't they. If you do decide to make it, come alone."

She hangs up and turns to Caleb's body, "What the hell are you looking at?"


	48. Salvation Pt.2

"So, you think Meg is a demon?" Sam asks and gets up from his seat, the three of them looking at John.

"Either that, or she's possessed by one. It doesn't really matter." John says.

"What do we do?" Dean asks.

"I'm going to Lincoln." John states.

"What?" Isabeau asks.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die, our friends die."

Isabeau eyes widen and she fiddles with her rosary. Her family was in danger.

"Dad, the demon is coming tonight. For Monica and her family. That gun is all we got, you can't just hand it over." Sam says.

"Who said anything about handing it over? Look, besides us and a coupla of vampires no ones really seen the gun, no one knows what it looks like." John says.

"So what, you're just going to pick up a ringer at a pawn shop?" Dean asks.

"Antique store."

Dean pauses, "You're going to hand Meg a fake gun and hope she doesn't notice?"

John shakes his head, "Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Isabeau scoffs, "Yeah, but for how long? What happens when she figures it out?"

"I just...I just need to buy a few hours, that's all."

"You mean for Dean, Isabeau and me. You want us to stay here, and kill this demon by ourselves?" Sam asks.

"No Sam. I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school, I want Dean to have a home, I want you three to live a happy life together. I want...I want Mary alive. It's just...I just want this to be over." John says, tears in his eyes.

* * *

Sam and John stand at the back of his truck, checking weapons alongside a muddy back road. The impala comes toward them and Dean and Isabeau get out.

"You get it?" John asks.

Isabeau pulls a brown paper bag out of her pocket and hands it to John. John pulls out an antique gun.

"You know this is a trap don't you. That's why Meg wants you to come alone?" Isabeau asks.

"I can handle her. I got a whole arsenal loaded. Holy water, Mandaic, amulets…" John answers.

"Dad…" Dean interrupts.

"What?"

"Promise me something."

"What's that?" John asks.

"This thing goes south just...get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed all right, you're no good to us dead." Dean says.

"Same goes for you." John pauses, "All right, listen to me." John pulls out the actual Colt, "They made the bullets special for this colt. There's only four of them left. Without them this gun is useless. You make every shot count."

"Yes, sir." Sam says.

"Been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you three now. It's your fight, you finish this. You finish what I started. Understand?" The three nod.

John hands Dean the colt.

"We'll see you soon, Dad."

John smiles with a nod, "I'll see you later."

John gets in the truck and leaves. The three stand watching him pull away.

"Later." Dean repeats what his father said.

* * *

Isabeau, Sam and Dean sit in the impala outside of Monica's house, the Colt in Isabeau's lap. They watch through the window as Monica and her husband finish dinner.

"Maybe we could tell 'em it was a gas leak. Might get 'em out of the house for a few hours." Sam suggests.

"Yeah, and how many times has that actually worked for us?" Dean asks.

"Yeah," Isabeau thinks, "We could always tell them the truth." Isabeau suggests.

The three look at each for a long moment, "Nah!" They all say together.

Isabeau shakes her head, "I know I know. I just...with what's coming for these people…"

"Isabeau, we only got one move and you know it, all right? We gotta wait for that demon to show itself and then we get it before it gets them." Dean places a hand on her thigh, squeezing it lightly.

They all look back at the house for a while.

"I wonder how Dad's doing." Sam wonders.

"I'd feel a lot better if we were there backing him up." Dean comments.

Sam scoffs, "I'd feel a lot better if he were here backing us up."

They keep watching the house.

* * *

"This is weird." Sam states.

"What?" Dean asks, glancing over at Isabeau, who stepped out of the car a few moments ago to sit on the hood, reading her book to try and look inconspicuous.

Sam shakes his head, "After all of these years we're finally here. It doesn't seem real."

"We just gotta keep our heads and do our job, like always." Dean looks back at the house.

"Yeah, but this isn't like always." Sam says, his gaze now focusing on Isabeau.

"True."

Sam sighs, "Dean...ah...I wanna thank you."

Dean looks over, "For what?"

"For everything. You've always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone I could always count on you…" He thinks for a second, "...And Isabeau... and ah...I don't know I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."

Dean shakes, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you kidding me?"

"What?"

"Don't say just in case something happens to you. I don't wanna hear that freaking speech man. Nobody's dying tonight. Not us, not that family, nobody. Except that demon. That evil son of a bitch ain't getting any older than tonight, you understand me?"

Dean then points at Isabeau who was staring at the house, "And that woman right there? We fight with her and for her. She's a reason to keep going, to keep fighting. I want to spend the rest of my life with her… and I know you do too."

"Me three."

Sam and Dean look forward to see Isabeau smiling at them. "Windows are down, boys." She taps her ear, "Can hear everything."

* * *

Dean holds his phone to his ear, "Dad's not answering." He hangs up the phone.

"Maybe, Meg was late. Maybe cell reception's bad."

"Yeah well."

The radio starts chattering with static.

"Dean, wait. Listen." Sam rolls the dial on the radio, hearing more static come and go. The wind picks up and the lights in the house flicker. Dean turns to look at Sam.

Isabeau comes up to the window, leaning in, "It's coming."

Sam and Dean jump out of the car.

* * *

Dean uses a card to slide the lock on the front door open and they enter silently.

As they approach the lounge, Sam and Isabeau first, Dean is confronted by Monica's husband. He swings a bat at Dean's head and misses, smashing a lamp.

"Get out of my house!" He screams.

Dean quickly closes in and grapples with him, grabbing the bat.

"Get out of my house!" He screams again.

"Please, please. Mr. Holden, please." Sam begs.

Dean easily takes control, swinging him against the wall and holding the bat across his throat, "Be quiet and listen to me. Be quiet and listen. We are trying to help you." Dean says sharply.

"Charlie? Is everything okay?" Monica calls from upstairs.

"Monica get the baby!" Holden yells.

At the same time, Sam yells, "Don't go in the nursery!"

"You stay away from her!" Holden yells.

He struggles to get away from Dean. Dean backhands him, knocking him unconscious, and puts him over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

* * *

Monica, pushes the door to the nursery open and a dark figure stands over Rosie's crib.

"What are you…"

The figure raises his hand and Monica is flung back against the wall.

Sam and Isabeau race up the stairs and along the corridor as Monica slides up the wall and onto the ceiling. They enter the room and the dark figure turns to them, yellow eyes shining. Sam and Isabeau hesitates, frozen and staring.

"Rosie!" Monica calls from the ceiling.

Sam raises the Colt and pulls the trigger. The demon disappears into smoke and Monica, screaming, falls to the floor.

"Where the hell did it go!" Isabeau yells.

"My baby!" Monica stands, trying to move toward the crib, and is caught by Sam.

Dean runs past them to the crib, "Take her and go!"

"Rosie!" Monica calls out.

"Come on." Sam tells her.

"My baby!"

Sam forces her out of the room, "Isabeau and Dean's got her."

Dean quickly wraps the blankets around the baby and pulls her up as the crib explodes into flame.

"Dean, go!" Isabeau screams.

Dean pauses, turning back to her confused, "What? Come on!"

Isabeau shakes her head, "I'm gonna try and stop it! Just go!"

"Isabeau!"

"GO!" Isabeau's eyes glow a fiery orange.

He clenches his jaw and he races out of the room.

* * *

The nursery window explodes outwards, flames shooting out. Monica is guided out of the smoke filled front doorway by Sam. Both are coughing.

Holden staggers up from where he was lying on the grass, "You get away from my family."

"No, Charlie don't. They saved us." Monica stops her husband.

Dean runs out to join them, holding the baby.

"I mean they saved us." Monica cries, takes the baby from Dean and her husband puts his arms around both of them.

"Thank you." She thanks Sam and Dean.

Devastated, Sam and Dean turn back to the burning house. The demon is silhouetted in the burning nursery, standing completely still. Their eyes widen when they remember who's in there with it. "Beau."

"It's still in there! It's with Isabeau!" Sam tries to run back in the house.

Dean grabs Sam, "Sam. Sam, no."

Sam struggles against him, "Dean, let me go! It's still in there! It has Isabeau!"

Dean shakes his head, tears pooling in his eyes, "No. It's burning to the ground, it's suicide."

"I don't care!"

"I do!"

"I can't lose her!" Sam says tears falling down his face.

They both look back up as the flames rise again and the demon turns away from them.

* * *

Isabeau stares, frozen as the yellow-eyed demon walks towards her, a smirk ever so present on his face. "Our Isabeau… look how much you've grown."

Isabeau packs up, only to trip backwards onto the ground from a stray toy. She stares up at him, her eyes still glowing, "I don't know you."

The demon tilts his head at her, "Yes you do. It's just locked away in that pretty little head of yours."

Isabeau's breath hitches as he steps over her and crouches down in front of her face. He leans in and whispers in her ear, "He's waiting patiently in his golden cage for his princess. He misses you."

Isabeau blinks in confusion and the demon disappears right before her eyes. She shakes her head and runs out of the room, avoiding any falling wooden beams in her way.

She runs out of the house, coughing and grunts as Sam and Dean embrace her in a tight hug. "I'm fine… I'm fine."

* * *

Dean paces in their motel room while holding the phone to his ear, listening to it ring out. Sam sits on the bed with Isabeau sitting in between his legs, holding her close.

"Come on Dad, answer your phone damn it." Dean says frustrated.

Dean hangs up, "Something's wrong."

Sam stares at the wall, giving it a bitch-face. Isabeau just stares forward, her mind repeatedly replaying what the demon said to her.

"You hear me? Something's happened." Dean looks over at them.

"If you had just let me go in there, I could've ended all this." Sam says. Isabeau blinks, breaking from her trance and steps out of Sam's embrace, hugging herself.

"Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life." Dean tells him.

Sam looks over at him, "You don't know that."

Dean walks over to the bed, "So what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it?

Sam stands up, "Yeah. Yeah, you're damn right I am."

"Well that's not going to happen, not as long as we're around." Dean gestures to himself and Isabeau. Isabeau says nothing, not even looking at them.

"What the hell are you talking about, Dean? We've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about." Sam says, he glances over at Isabeau. She hasn't turned to look at them or anything.

"Sam, I wanna waste it. I do. Okay? But it's not worth dying over." Dean says.

"What?"

"I mean it. If hunting this demon means getting yourself killed then I hope we never find the damn thing."

Sam's jaw clenches, "That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom."

Dean stares at him, "You said yourself once, that no matter what we do, they're gone, and they're never coming back."

Sam totally loses it, grabs Dean and shoves him hard against the wall, "Don't you say that! Not you! Not after all this, don't you say that."

Dean speaks softly, "Sam, look. The four of us...that's all we have...and it's all I have. Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holding it together man...and without you or Dad..." Both brothers look over at Isabeau, who is still turned away from them. "Isabeau…"

Isabeau flinches at her name. _"He's waiting patiently in his golden cage for his princess. He misses you."_

Isabeau holds her hands to her ears as those words ring in her ears.

Sam walks slowly over to her, upset and confused, "Beau…? Beau, what's wrong?"

Isabeau starts to shake and slowly falls to her knees, "Make it stop." She whispers, tears falling as the words continue to repeat themselves.

Arms wrap around her and the words instantly stop. She gasps, turning and wrapping her arms around Sam's neck to bring him closer to her, "They wouldn't stop."

Dean comes over, tears in his own eyes and caresses her face, wiping away her tears, "What? What wouldn't stop?"

Isabeau breathes out, "His words. What the demon said to me." Isabeau furrows her brow and slowly pulls away from them. She thinks for a moment before punching them both in the arm.

"Ow!" Both of them exclaim. They give her a look, wondering why she punched them.

Isabeau wipes away any more stray tears, "No sacrificing your lives. None of that bullshit. None of this is worth any of us dying. And I mean it. Not me, not either of you or John."

She looks up at them, "I can't lose you both." She shakes her head, "I can't do that."

Sam nods, softly grabbing her face and pulling her in for a kiss. Isabeau smiles sadly against his lips. She couldn't lose Sam and Dean. And they couldn't lose her. Everyone was a wreck, no one was thinking straight.

Isabeau presses her forehead against Sam's and glances over at Dean who is watching with a soft smile.

Isabeau pulls away from Sam and forces a smile for Dean. She moves over and wraps her arms around Dean's neck, the two slowly meeting in the middle. Her fingers run through his hair and she could feel a lone tear run down his face. Isabeau was his chance at happiness, and the thought of possibly losing her was terrifying.

She pulls away and trails her fingers down Dean's cheeks, "Call you father."

Dean nods and him and Sam help Isabeau off the ground. Isabeau runs her fingers through her hair and Sam paces, all of them sniffle. Dean stays where he is, taking deep breaths.

"He should have called by now. Try him again." Sam reminds Dean.

Dean presses a few buttons and raises his phone.

* * *

John's phone sits on a bench, ringing. Meg wanders over and picks it up. She looks at the screen, smiles to herself and answers, "You boys really screwed up this time."

Dean looks over at Sam and Isabeau, facing hardening, "Where is he?"

Sam and Isabeau look over at him, worried.

"You're never going to see your father again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooohhh~ Shit is starting to go down! I'm actually really happy with these chapters. Slowly getting more insight to Isabeau's connection to good old yellow-eyes. Hope you all enjoyed! Only one more episode!


	49. Devil's Trap Pt.1

**_Previously on Supernatural…_ **

_John's phone sits on a bench, ringing. Meg wanders over and picks it up. She looks at the screen, smiles to herself and answers, "You boys really screwed up this time."_

_Dean looks over at Sam and Isabeau, facing hardening, "Where is he?"_

_Sam and Isabeau look over at him, worried._

_"You're never going to see your father again."_

Dean hangs up his phone, "They've got Dad." Dean moves from his spot, pacing.

"Meg?" Isabeau asks. Dean just nods.

"What'd she say?" Sam asks.

"I just told you, Sammy." Dean says upset. He rubs his hand over his face, "Okay. Okay." Dean takes the Colt and tucks it into the back of his jeans.

"What are you doing, Dean?" Isabeau asks.

Dean grabs his duffel bag, "We got to go."

"Why?" Sam follows Dean as Isabeau stays in her place.

Dean puts on his jacket, "Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right. It knows we got the Colt. It's got Dad… it's probably coming for us next."

"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come." Sam says.

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready, okay? We don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving... Now!"

Sam and Isabeau share a look as Dean walks out of the motel. Isabeau sighs and goes to grab her stuff.

* * *

The impala is speeding down the road and takes a turn sideways. "I'm telling you, Dean, we could have taken him." Sam says.

"What we need is a plan. Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we just gotta figure out where. They're gonna wanna trade him for the gun." Dean says and Sam just shakes his head.

Dean glances over at him, "What?"

"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade?" Sam says getting upset, "Dad, he might be…"

"Don't!" Dean exclaims. Isabeau sighs in between them.

Sam shakes his head, "Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing. We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job."

"Screw the job, Sam!"

"Dean, I'm just trying to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going."

"Quit talking about him like he's dead already. Listen to me, everything stops until we get him back, you understand me? Everything." Dean says angry.

Isabeau thinks, "So how do we find him?" She asks.

Dean glances over a ther, "Maybe we go to Lincoln. Start at the warehouse where he was taken."

"Come on, Dean, you really think these demons are going to leave a trail?" Sam asks.

Isabeau pauses and then smiles, "You're right. We need help."

* * *

The impala drives onto a junkyard, which has a sign that reads 'Singer Auto Salvage'. There are junk cars around and hubcaps nailed to the side of the house. A large dog is chained to a post and is lying on the hood of an old tow truck.

Inside, there are books stacked everywhere. It's untidy and cluttered with papers on every wall. Bobby picks up three round silver flasks with crosses on them and hands one to Dean. Sam and Isabeau are sitting at a cluttered desk reading a very large book.

"Here you go." Bobby says.

Dean looks at it, "What is this? Holy water?"

"That one is." Bobby holds out the other two flasks, "These are whiskey."

Bobby tosses one to Isabeau, who catches it, "Thanks Gramps."

Bobby nods at her as he takes a swig of whiskey and hands it to Dean, who also drinks.

"Bobby, thanks. Thanks for everything. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure we should come." Dean tells him.

"Nonsense. Your Daddy needs help." Bobby says then looks over at Isabeau, "Plus anytime my granddaughter comes knocking, all hands on deck."

Isabeau gives a two finger salute in his direction and takes a swing of whiskey.

Dean chuckles, "Well, yeah, but last time we saw you, I mean, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot. Cocked the shotgun and everything."

Bobby sighs, "Yeah, well, what can I say? John just has that effect on people."

"Yeah, I guess he does."

"None of that matters now. All that matters is that you get him back." Bobby says.

"Bobby, this book…" Sam looks up with a chuckle, "I've never seen anything like it."

Isabeau smiles down at Sam as Bobby comes over to them and sits on the corner of the desk, "Key of Solomon? It's the real deal, alright."

"And these, uh, these protective circles. They really work?" Sam asks.

Isabeau scoffs, "Hell, yeah. You get a demon in one, they're trapped. Powerless. It's like a Satanic roach motel." Isabeau and Bobby share a smile as Sam chuckles.

Dean comes over to them, "Man, knows his stuff."

Bobby points at Isabeau, "Where do you think this one learned everything she knows?" Isabeau chuckles. Apart from her parents, her Gramps taught her everything she knew.

"I'll tell you something else, too. This is some serious crap you three stepped in." Bobby adds.

"Oh, yeah? How's that?" Sam asks.

"Normal year, I hear of, say, three demonic possessions. Maybe four, tops."

"Yeah?" Dean asks.

"This year I heard of 27 so far. You get what I'm saying? More and more demons are walking among us – a lot more." Bobby explains.

Sam shakes his head, "Do you know why?"

"No, but I know it's something big. The storm's coming, and you boys, your Daddy, you too Izzy – you are smack in the middle of it." Bobby tells them.

The dog starts barking outside.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "Rumsfeld?"

As Bobby goes over to the window the dog stops barking with a whine. "What is it?" Bobby asks himself.

He looks out the window and sees the chain hanging broken and the dog nowhere in sight, "Something's wrong."

At that moment Meg kicks in the door and saunters in. Dean slips the holy water flask out of his pocket.

"No more crap, okay?" Meg says.

Dean comes at her, unscrewing the flask, but Meg hits him and sends him flying into a stack of books and knocks him out.

"Dean!" Isabeau calls out as she steps in front of Sam and Bobby, placing herself between them and Meg.

"I want the Colt, Isabeau – the real Colt – right now."

Isabeau, Sam and Bobby are slowly moving across the room and Meg follows them. Sam swallows from behind Isabeau, "We don't have it on us. We buried it." He tells her.

"Didn't I say 'no more crap'? I swear – after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed. First, Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you two chuckleheads and My Isabeau. Lackluster, men."

Meg pauses looking at Isabeau with a smirk, "I expected so much more from you Isabeau. I mean, did you really think I wouldn't find you?"

Dean steps in behind her, "Actually, we were counting on it."

Meg turns to look at him. Dean stares at her and then looks up at the ceiling. Meg also looks up and sees a large protective symbol etched there.

Dean smirks, "Gotcha."

* * *

Meg is tied to a chair in the middle of the floor. Dean, Isabeau and Sam are watching her. "You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask."

Bobby comes in with a very large canister of salt, "I salted the door and windows. If there are any demons out there, they ain't getting in."

Dean nods and stands up, moving around Bobby, Isabeau and Sam to stand in front of Meg, "Where's our father, Meg?"

Meg smirks up at him, "You didn't ask very nice."

"Where's our father, bitch?"

"Jeez. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't."

Dean lunges at her, putting his hands on the chair arms. "You think this is a frigging game? Where is he?! What did you do to him?" He screams at her.

"He died screaming. I killed him myself."

Dean just looks at her with hate, then hits her across the face.

She screams and then turns back to him with a smirk, "That's kind of a turn on – you hitting a girl." She looks over at Isabeau, "You do that to My Isabeau? Does she enjoy it?"

Dean ignores her last comment, fists clenching, "You're no girl."

Bobby stands up and moves into the next room, "Dean." Isabeau follows him.

Dean follows and Sam moves up to him. "You okay?" Sam asks.

"She's lying. He's not dead." Dean states.

Isabeau sighs, "Dean, you got to be careful with her. Don't hurt her."

"Why?"

"Because she really is a girl, that's why." Bobby says.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asks, looking back and forth between Isabeau and Bobby.

"She's possessed. That's a human possessed by a demon. Can't you tell?" Bobby asks.

Dean glances back at Meg, "Are you trying to tell me there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there?"

Isabeau and Bobby just nod. Dean looks at Meg, who is staring back at him. "That's actually good news."

* * *

Sam is looking through a book for an exorcism ritual. Isabeau would have done it, but she wants Sam to get used to remembering exorcisms. Sam looks at Dean , who looks back at him and all three move over to Meg.

"Are you gonna read me a story?" Meg asks.

Dean nods, "Something like that. Hit it, Sam."

"Regna terrae, cantate deo, psallite domino…" Sam continues in Latin.

Meg turns to look at Isabeau, "An exorcism? Are you serious?"

Isabeau smirks, "Oh we're going for it, baby. Head spinning, projectile vomiting, the whole nine yards."

"...tribuite virtutem deo." Sam says.

Meg flinches in pain and Sam looks at Dean.

Meg looks over her shoulder at Sam, "I'm gonna to kill you." She then looks at Dean, "I'm gonna rip the bones from your body."

"No, you're gonna burn in hell. Unless you tell us where our Dad is." Dean says and Meg just smiles at him. "Well, at least you'll get a nice tan." He glances up at Sam.

Sam nods, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incuriso infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, onmis congregatio et secta diabolica..."

Meg has been shaking and obviously in pain while Sam reads the exorcism ritual. She finally gasps in pain and Sam stops.

"He begged for his life with tears in his eyes. He begged to see his sons one last time. That's when I slit his throat." Meg tells them.

Sam starts reading again and Dean leans down to her.

"Ergo…"

"For your sake, I hope you're lying. Cause if it's true, I swear to God, I will march into hell myself and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God!" Dean growls out.

"Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae." Winds start to blow through the room. "Hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei. Contremisce et effuge. Invocato a nobis sancto et terribile nomine. Quem inferi tremunt…"

Meg starts to show signs of being in pain again. Isabeau takes deep breaths calming herself.

"Where is he?" Dean asks.

"You just won't take "dead" for an answer, will you?" Meg breathes out heavily.

"Where is he?!"

"Dead!"

Dean leans down again, "No, he's not! He's not dead! He can't be!" Dean yells very upset and angry. Sam and Isabeau are looking at him with concern. "What are you looking at? Keep reading." Dean orders Sam.

"Ab insidis diaboli, libera nos, domine. Ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias, libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos." Meg screams out and the chair starts to slide around the circle. "Ut inimicos sanctae ecclesiae humiliare digneris, to rogamus audi…"

"He will be!" Meg screams.

"Wait! What?!" Dean asks, stopping Sam.

"He's not dead. But he will be after what we do to him." Meg snarls.

Dean glances at Sam and Isabeau, "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't."

"Sam!"

"A building! Okay? A building in Jefferson City." Meg answers.

"Missouri? Where, where? An address!" Dean demands.

"I don't know."

Sam speaks up, "And the demon, the one we're looking for, where is it?"

Meg looks at him, "I don't know! I swear! That's everything. That's all I know."

Isabeau steps forward, "Why do you keep calling me yours?"

Meg pauses, smiling up at Isabeau, "You're not just mine. You belong to so many."

"I don't belong to anyone!" Isabeau screams, her eyes glowing their fiery orange.

Dean stares at Isabeau and then looks at Sam, "Finish it."

Meg looks up at all of them in panic, "What? I told you the truth!"

"I don't care." Dean snarls.

"You son of a bitch, you promised."

"I lied! Sam?" Sam doesn't say anything and Dean looks at him, "Sam! Read." Dean walks by him.

Sam leans over and whispers, "Maybe we can still use her. Find out where the demon is."

"She doesn't know." Dean says.

"She lied."

"Sam, there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there. We've got to help her."

Bobby comes up to them, "You're gonna kill her."

"What?" Dean looks over at him.

"You said she fell from a building. That girl's body is broken. The only thing keeping her alive is that demon inside. You exorcise it, that girl is going to die."

Dean huffs, "Listen to me, both of you, we are not gonna leave her like that."

"She is a human being." Isabeau says, her eyes stop glowing.

"And we're gonna put her out of her misery." He tells her and turns to Sam, "Sam, finish it."

Sam looks at his brother, Isabeau and Bobby, not sure what's the right thing to do. He looks over at Meg.

"Finish it." Dean repeats.

Sam takes a breath and keeps going, "Dominicos sanctae ecclesiae, terogamus audi nos, terribilis deus do sanctuario suo deus israhel. Ipse tribuite virtutem et fortitudinem plebi suae, benedictus deus, gloria patri…"

Meg throws her head back and screams. The demon leaves through her mouth in a black cloud and spreads out in the protective circle in the ceiling before disappearing.

Meg leans forward and blood starts to drip from her mouth. Isabeau tenses up as a certain smell that she thought she would never smell again enters her nose. Bobby immediately leans over and whispers, "Get down below and lock yourself in there until I come and get you."

Isabeau nods, immediately running off, holding her arm to her nose.

The men stand there looking at her, not really sure it's over.

Meg slowly lifts her head. "She's still alive." Dean announces and looks at Bobby, "Call 911. Get some water and blankets."

Bobby rushes off as Dean and Sam untie Meg.

"Thank you." Meg whispers.

"Shh, shh. Just take it easy, alright?" Sam says softly.

"Come on. Let's get her down." Dean says.

They lift Meg from the chair. There is the sound of bones crunching and Meg screams in pain as they lower her to the floor. "Sorry, sorry. I got you. I got you. It's okay. It's okay." Sam eases her.

"A year." Meg says strained.

"What?" Sam asks.

"It's been a year." Meg repeats.

"Shh, just take it easy." Sam shushes her again.

Meg groans, "I've been awake for some of it. I couldn't move my own body. The things I did, it's a nightmare."

"Was it telling us the truth about our Dad?" Dean asks.

Sam looks up at Dean in disbelief, "Dean."

Dean glances at him, "We need to know."

"Yes. But it wants... you to know... that... they want you to come for him." Meg tells them.

Dean shakes his head, "If Dad's still alive, none of that matters."

Bobby comes in with a blanket and a glass of water. He hands the glass to Dean while he and Sam cover holds her head up so she can drink.

"Where is the demon we're looking for?" Sam asks softly.

Meg tries to shake her head to the best of her ability, "Not there. Other ones. Awful ones."

"Where are they keeping our Dad?" Dean asks.

"By the river. Sunrise." Meg stutters out.

"'Sunrise.' What does that mean? What does that mean?" Dean asks her but Meg is already dead.

* * *

"You better hurry up and beat it. Before the paramedics get here." Bobby tells Sam and Dean.

"What are you gonna tell them?" Dean asks.

"You think we invented lying to the cops?" Isabeau asks, coming up from the basement. Bobby gives her a look and she shrugs at him, "He'll figure something out."

Bobby shakes his head at her and hands the Key of Solomon book to Sam, "Here take this. You might need it."

Sam looks down at it, "Thanks."

Dean nods, "Thanks... for everything. Be careful, alright?"

"You just go find your Dad. And when you do, you bring him around, would you? I won't even try to shoot him this time." Bobby tells them.

Isabeau clears her throat, "I'll meet you in the car. I just need to talk to Gramps."

The brothers nod and leave the two of them alone.

Once the door closes shut, Bobby turns to Isabeau, "I told you I would come and get you."

Isabeau huffs, "I couldn't smell it anymore. It must've faded away."

Bobby sighs, "Are you sure? You feeling alright?"

Isabeau chuckles and nods, "Yeah, I'm fine." She pauses, "Never thought I would smell it again... It scares me, Gramps. What if I-"

"You're not gonna finish that sentence because it's never gonna happen again." Bobby interrupts her, "Be careful and the minute you smell it, hold your breath and run."


	50. Devil's Trap Pt.2

The impala is parked by some train tracks. Sam is looking through the Key of Solomon book on the roof of the car, spinning a marker in his hand. Dean is at the back of the car, loading up guns and putting them into his duffel bag.

Sam peeks into the impala's backseat, smiling softly at Isabeau, who was sound asleep. She fell asleep on the drive away from Bobby's. She didn't tell either of them what she talked to Bobby about before she fell asleep.

Dean is very solemn and Sam looks over at him, concerned. "You've been quiet."

"Just getting ready." Dean responds, not looking at him.

"He's gonna be fine, Dean." Sam reassures him.

Dean doesn't answer and Sam flips to another page of the book. He sees a symbol and picks up the book to walk to the open trunk lid. He rubs off the dirt and starts to draw on the lid.

Dean notices, "Dude, what are you drawing on my car?!"

"It's called a Devil's trap. Demons can't get through it or inside it." Sam answers drawing the symbol.

"So?"

Sam moves around to the other end of the trunk, "It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox."

"So?" Dean repeats, emphasizing the word a bit more.

"So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get Dad." Sam explains.

Dean shakes his head, "What are you talking about? We're bringing the Colt with us."

"We can't, Dean. We've only got three bullets left. We can't just use them on any demon, we've got to use them on the demon."

Dean walks over to him, "No, we have to save Dad, Sam, okay? We're gonna need all the help we can get."

Sam closes the book, "Dean, you know how pissed Dad would be if we used all the bullets? Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring the gun."

"I don't care, Sam. I don't care what Dad wants, okay? And since when do you care what Dad wants?" Dean exclaims.

"We want to kill this demon." Sam yells back, "You used to want that, too. Hell, I mean, you're the one who came and got me at school! You're the one that also dragged Isabeau away from home!" Dean scoffs. "You're the one who dragged us back into this, Dean. I'm just trying to finish it!"

Dean glances up at him, "Well, you and Dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that? You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing. But you know what? I'm gonna be the one to bury you. You're selfish, you know that? You don't care about anything but revenge."

Sam shakes his head, "That's not true, Dean." Dean scoffs again. "I want Dad back. But they are expecting us to bring this gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all. That Colt is our only leverage and you know it, Dean. We can not bring that gun. We can't." Sam says.

"Fine."

"I'm serious, Dean."

Dean glares at him, "I said fine, Sam."

Dean takes the Colt out of his jacket pocket and holds it up to show Sam before putting it in the trunk. Isabeau leans her upper half out of the backseat window, sitting on it's sill and leans her arms on top of it, "You two done fighting?"

Sam and Dean jump at her sudden question. Isabeau smiles at them. Dean shakes his head at her, "You gotta stop doing that."

Isabeau shrugs innocently and Sam pulls her out of the backseat window, setting her on her feet.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam are walking by the river. They step up beside some trees and Isabeau stops.

"Hey, hey." Sam and Dean stop and look at her, "Think I know what Meg meant by 'Sunrise.'" She recalls what Meg told Sam and Dean.

Sam and Dean look over and see an apartment building with a sign out front that says "Sunrise Apartments".

"Son of a bitch. That's pretty smart. I mean, if these demons can possess people they can possess almost anybody inside." Dean concludes.

Sam nods, "Yeah, and make anybody attack us."

Dean glances over at the apartments, "And so we can't kill them. A building full of human shields."

Isabeau sighs, "They probably know exactly what we look like, too. And they could look like anybody."

Dean nods, "Yeah, this sucks out loud."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Alright, so, how the hell are we going to get in?" Sam asks.

Isabeau looks over at the building for a minute, "Pull the fire alarm, get out all the civilians."

Sam nods, "Okay, but then the city responds in, what, seven minutes?"

"Seven minutes exactly." Dean confirms.

* * *

Sam walks in the front door of the apartment building and goes to a fire alarm on the wall. Just as he's about to pull it a man comes walking down the hallway.

Sam moves to the stairs like he's going up them, but when the man leaves through the front door he quickly goes and pulls the alarm, leaving the building.

* * *

Outside the building, people are leaving and firemen are coming in. Dean and Isabeau come up to one of the firemen.

"Hey, what's happening? Is it a fire?" Dean asks.

"We're figuring that out right now, sir, mam. Just stay back." The fireman moves Dean and Isabeau away.

Isabeau smiles bashfully, "Well, we've got a Yorkie upstairs and he pees when he's nervous…"

"Mam, sir, you have to stay back." The fireman continues pushing them back.

Sam moves behind them to the fire truck, he finds a compartment and picks the lock.

* * *

Dean, Isabeau and Sam come down the hallway in the apartment building, dressed in full fireman gear; helmets, breathing apparatus, and more.

Dean is using his EMF to check the doors of the apartments. "I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Dean comments. Isabeau smiles at him.

"You never told me that." Sam says as they come to a door and Dean's EMF starts reading high.

* * *

Inside the apartment, a woman is sitting with her head down. There is banging on the door and she looks up; her eyes are completely black. She and the man in there with her, go over to the door to look out through the peephole.

"This is the fire department. We need you to evacuate." Dean says.

The man steps behind the door and nods for the woman to open it. She unlocks the door and the three shove it open.

The woman is thrown backward as Dean, Isabeau and Sam come through. They spray the couple with water from their tanks and it burns them. It was holy water.

Dean punches the man and shoves him into a closet, "Come on!"

Sam grabs the woman off the table and shoves her in as well. Isabeau and Dean lean against the door and it lurches as the demons inside try to get out.

"Hurry up!" Isabeau exclaims.

Sam grabs a canister of salt from the duffel bag and runs a line around the closet door. As soon as he finishes it the pounding stops.

The three take off the fireman gear and move to the bedroom door. They slowly open it and see John on the bed.

Dean goes over to his father, "Dad?" He leans down and listens, "He's still breathing."

Sam looks relieved and Dean starts shaking John, "Dad, wake up. Dad!" Dean takes out a knife and is about to cut the restraints around John's wrists.

Isabeau holds her hand up, "Wait. Wait."

"What?" Dean asks her.

"He could be possessed for all we know."

"What, are you nuts?"

Sam interjects, "Dean, we got to be sure." Sam takes a flask of holy water out of the duffle bag and sprinkles it on John. It has no effect.

John moans and starts to come around, "Sam? Why are you splashing water on me?"

Dean glances at Sam before turning back to John, "Dad, are you okay?"

"They've been drugging me." John sighs, "Where's the Colt?"

"Don't worry, Dad, it's safe." Sam says and Isabeau sighs in relief.

"Good, boys. Good, Isabeau." John mumbles as Dean cuts him free.

* * *

Dean and Sam are carrying John out of the bedroom as Isabeau carries the bags. The front door suddenly bursts open and a man and a fireman come in.

"Go! Go!" Sam exclaims.

"Back! Back!" Dean exclaims as well.

They go back into the bedroom and close the door locking it and an axe suddenly comes through the door.

* * *

Isabeau runs a line of salt at the bedroom door. Sam, Dean and John are already out on the fire escape.

Sam waits at the window for her, "Isabeau, let's go!"

Isabeau tosses him the duffel bag and goes through the window out onto the fire escape. She runs salt along the window sill.

Dean and Sam help John down onto the street and Isabeau moves ahead of them.

Isabeau is suddenly attacked by the man who was with Meg in Lincoln. He pins Isabeau down on the street and starts beating her to death. Dean and Sam put John down and go to their girlfriend's aid.

"Isabeau!" They scream out.

Dean and Sam run over and Dean kicks the man in the face, but it has no effect.

The two brothers are suddenly thrown onto a parked car, shattering the windshield, and the man goes back to beating Isabeau.

Suddenly, there is a gunshot and the man gets a bullet through the head. He falls off of Isabeau , dead.

Dean is standing with the Colt and he puts it away and him and Sam come over to Isabeau.

"Isabeau!" Sam and Dean pick her up, "Isabeau, come on! Come on!" Isabeau leans against Sam when they get her to her feet and holds onto Dean as well.

They look down at the dead man. The demon is dead and so is the man it was possessing.

"Come on. We gotta get out of here." Dean says. Isabeau tries to walk, but almost falls over in the process.

Sam grunts as he picks up Isabeau in his arms, one arm hooked under her knees as the other supports her back, "I got you."

Dean goes over to John and picks him up, all of them leaving the area in a hurry.

* * *

The impala is parked outside a cabin in the woods. Inside Sam is pouring salt along the window sill. Isabeau is helping him, her face is a mess; bruised, bloody, and swollen.

Dean comes into the room.

Isabeau turns to him, "How is he?"

Dean smiles softly at her, "He just needed a little rest, that's all. How are you?"

Sam comes up to her, brushing her hair away from her face as she answers, "I'll survive."

Sam turns to his brother, "Hey, you don't think we were followed here, do you?"

Dean looks up at him, "I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, we couldn't have found a more out-of-the-way place to hole up."

"Yeah."

Isabeau sighs, "Hey, uh... Dean, you, um... you saved my life back there. Guess you got to be my knight in shining armor today." She jokes.

Dean snorts at her and looks at Sam, "So, I guess you're glad I brought the gun, huh?"

Sam rolls his eyes, "Man, she's trying to thank you here."

Dean looks over at Isabeau and comes up to her, placing a soft kiss on her lips, "You're welcome… damsel in distress."

Isabeau smiles weakly and walks across the room, Sam follows her.

"Hey, Isabeau?" Dean asks.

"Yeah?" Isabeau answers.

"You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there."

Isabeau turns to him, "You didn't have a choice, Dean." She says softly.

"Yeah, I know, that's not what bothers me."

Isabeau swallows, "Then what does?"

"Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn't hesitate, I didn't even flinch. For you, Sam or Dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill, it's just, uh ... it scares me sometimes." Dean explains.

Sam and Isabeau just look at him, not knowing what to say. Isabeau looks away; she knows how that feels.

John comes into the room, "It shouldn't. You did good."

Dean looks up at him, "You're not mad?"

"For what?"

"Using a bullet."

"Mad?" John shakes his head, "I'm proud of you. You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you… you watch out for this family. You always have."

Dean glances over at Sam and Isabeau, "Thanks."

The wind suddenly picks up and the lights start to flicker. They all go over to the window. "It found us. It's here." John states.

"The demon?" Sam asks.

"Sam, Isabeau, lines of salt in front of every window, every door."

Isabeau takes a breath, "We already did it."

"Well, check it, okay?" John asks them.

Sam nods, "Okay." He and Isabeau leave the room.

"Dean, you got the gun?" John asks.

Dean nods, "Yeah."

"Give it to me."

Dean takes the Colt out of his jeans, "Dad, Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation. It disappeared."

John looks over, "This is me. I won't miss. Now, the gun, hurry."

Dean hesitates and looks down at the gun.

"Son, please."

Dean starts to back up a few steps.

"Give me the gun. What are you doing, Dean?" John asks, confused.

"He'd be furious." Dean simply states.

"What?"

"That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me, he'd tear me a new one." Dean shakes his head.

John just looks at him as Dean raises the gun, pointing it at him and cocking it. "You're not my Dad."

"Dean, it's me." John says.

"I know my Dad better than anyone. And you ain't him." Dean says.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" John asks.

"I could ask you the same thing. Stay back."

Sam and Isabeau come into the room and are shocked to see Dean pointing the gun at John. "Dean? What the hell's going on?" Sam asks.

John glances over at Sam, "Your brother's lost his mind."

"He's not Dad." Dean states.

Isabeau furrows her brow, "What?"

"I think he's possessed. I think he's been possessed since we rescued him." Dean says getting upset.

"Don't listen to him, Sammy. Beau." John tells them. Isabeau blinks at John, slowly making her way over to Dean. John never calls Isabeau 'Beau'.

"Dean, how do you know?" Sam says, not taking his eyes of John.

Dean fights back tears, "He's ... he's different."

John looks over at Sam, "You know, we don't have time for this. Sam, you wanna kill this demon, you've gotta trust me."

Sam looks back and forth between his father and brother. Dean glances at him, but doesn't say anything else to convince him.

"Sam?" John says.

Sam looks back and forth. Isabeau gives him a look, shaking her head.

Sam shakes his head, "No. No." He moves over to stand by his brother's side and protectively in front of Isabeau.

John looks at them, "Fine. You're all so sure, go ahead. Kill me." John looks down and waits.

Dean holds the gun on him, but can't pull the trigger.

"I thought so." He looks back up and his eyes are yellow.

Sam and Isabeau lunge, but are thrown against the walls, pinned there. So is Dean across from Sam, and he drops the Colt.

John picks it up, "What a pain in the ass this thing's been." He looks over at Sam.

"It's you, isn't it? We've been looking for you for a long time." Sam says.

"Well, you found me."

"But the holy water?"

The demon smiles, "You think something like that works on something like me?"

Sam tries to fight the force that has him pinned to the wall, but fails, "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact," The demon puts the gun down on a table, "Here. Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy."

Sam looks at the gun, but nothing happens. The demon chuckles, "Well, this is fun." He looks over at Isabeau who is glaring at him, "Little Isabeau. I quite enjoyed our little chat from earlier. It's a shame though that your telekinesis only works when you use your hands. Not quite there yet."

The demon then walks over to the window beside Dean, "I could've killed you a hundred times today, but this…" He sighs, "This is worth the wait."

Dean struggles, but is still pinned to the wall and John looks over at him, "Your Dad, he's in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat suit. He says "hi", by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood."

"Let him go, or I swear to God-" Dean growls.

"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice." The demon comes over to Dean, "You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter."

"Who, Meg?"

"The one in the alley? That was my boy. You understand."

"You've got to be kidding me." Dean scoffs.

"What? You're the only one that can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed your family?" He smiles at Dean, "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still, two wrongs don't make a right."

"You son of a bitch." Dean growls.

"I wanna know why. Why'd you do it?" Sam asks.

The demon turns to Sam, "You mean why did I kill Mommy and little Jess?"

"Yeah."

The demon walks over to Sam, "You want to know why? Because they got in the way."

"In the way of what?" Sam asks.

"My plans for you, Sammy. You... and all the children like you."

Isabeau chuckles bitterly, "Listen, you mind just getting this over with, huh? Cause I really can't stand the monologuing."

The demon smirks, "And little Isabeau. The apple of everyone's eye." The demon walks over to Isabeau, brushing away a strand of her hair from her face. Sam and Dean struggle against the walls, "Can't kill this one. She's off limits… to an extent."

"What are you talking about?" Isabeau growls out.

The demon chuckles, "Many people love you, Isabeau. Hell, you even got two brothers as your lovers. That's quite an accomplishment." He pauses, "You're so special, Isabeau."

"There's others like me. Other hybrids." Isabeau says.

The demon shakes his head, "None like you, though. Born of two sides, good and evil. Equally balanced."

Isabeau furrows her brow and he chuckles at her confusion, "Oh, you were never told what you really are? Well…" He pulls out a knife from his back pocket and smirks, "I wonder... Can you cheat death a third time?"

The demon plunges the knife deep into her abdomen and Isabeau screams out as he twists it.

"NO!" Sam and Dean scream out, thrashing against the walls as the demon continues to stab Isabeau.

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" Dean screams out.

The demon stops for a moment, looking over at Dean and he suddenly yells in pain.

"Dean! No!" Sam screams out, tears falling down his face.

Dean starts to bleed heavily from his chest. Sam starts to struggle against the force pinning him. "Dad! Dad, don't you let it kill me!" Dean begs.

John looks at him again and smiles. Dean starts screaming in pain. "Dean! No!" Sam screams out again.

The blood is flowing out of Dean and Sam struggles as hard as he can to break free as blood is running out of Dean's mouth, "Dad, please."

"Hey." The demon's smile falls as he looks back at Isabeau. His eyes widen when he sees her eyes glowing a deep violet, "Back off." Her voice echoes throughout the room and she thrusts her hand forward against the demon's chest, sending him flying backwards, letting John come back in control for just a few seconds.

Sam is suddenly let go, as well as Dean.

Sam dives and grabs the gun off the table. John gets up, turns to him, eyes yellow once again, and Sam aims the gun at him.

"You kill me, you kill Daddy." The demon says.

"I know." Sam fires the gun, shooting John in the leg and he falls down.

Sam gets up and goes to his brother, "Dean? Dean, hey? Oh God, you've lost a lot of blood."

Dean looks over at Isabeau weakly, "Isabeau?"

Sam looks up with his brother. Isabeau turns to them, her glowing eyes fading back to their original blue. Blood starts to slowly drip from her mouth and she falls to her knees. "No!" Sam runs over, catching her before she falls to the floor completely.

"Oh god, Beau!" Sam looks down at her multiple stab wounds, tears falling down his face rapidly.

Isabeau looks up at him weakly, "Sam?"

Sam smiles down at her weakly, "Hey, stay with me okay?"

Isabeau struggles to look around, "Dean? Where's Dean?"

Dean struggles to look at her, "I'm right here, sweetheart."

She blinks slowly, "Go to… your dad."

"Isabeau."

"Go…" She coughs up more blood, "Check on him."

Sam carefully sets her down and gets up and goes over to check on John. He is lying motionless on the floor, "Dad? Dad?"

John suddenly looks up, "Sammy! It's still alive. It's inside me, I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son!" Sam aims the gun at John. "Do it now!"

"Sam, don't you do it. Don't you do it." Dean cries from his spot.

"You've gotta hurry! I can't hold onto it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me! Son, I'm begging you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!" John scream.

"Sam, no." Dean begs weakly.

"You do this! Sammy! Sam…" The demon suddenly leaves John in a black cloud from his mouth. It disappears through the floor.

John looks at Sam accusingly.

* * *

Sam is driving with John by his side. Isabeau and Dean are in the back seat. John gasps in pain, Isabeau is out cold and Dean is just slumped over, pressing down on Isabeau's wounds with as much pressure as he can to stop the bleeding.

She was barely breathing.

"Look, just hold on, alright. The hospital's only ten minutes away." Sam says.

John looks over, "I'm surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn't you kill it? I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this? Killing this demon comes first – before me, before everything."

Sam looks in the rear view mirror at Dean and Isabeau, "No, sir. Not before everything. Look, we've still got the Colt. We still have the one bullet left. We just have to start over, alright? I mean, we already found the demon-"

An eighteen wheeler suddenly slams into the passenger side of the impala at full speed, driving it sideways in front of it.

The driver of the semi is sitting behind the wheel and his eyes are black.

Isabeau, Dean, Sam, and John are all unconscious in the car; blood all over them.

And out of all of them, Death was reaching his hand out to Isabeau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD! Done with 'Party of Three'/Season 1! Wow, I can't believe it. This has been awesome. I will have to say that Isabeau will be back in 'Till Death Do Us Part' (Season 2) on June 21st or 22nd, not sure yet on which day. But it will give me bit of a couple day break and then we're back into it.
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoyed season 1 of Isabeau's story and I am so excited to move onto season 2. Tell me what parts were your favorites! Or maybe any questions that you guys might have? I don't know, I'm just a sucker for feedback. The wait will not be long! (Literally a couple days away.)
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed!


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